Family Affair
by NiMHGuys
Summary: Tim and David work to take their relationship to the next level, but not everyone is as happy about it as they are. Begins with Heartland (6x04). Part 4 and Finale of the "Scruffy" series. Tim M./Original Male Character. Warnings for full slash.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - Thank you all for reading the series. I've written most of the chapters for Family Affair but still have a few to go, so please bear with me. Please give feedback when possible, I want to make sure I'm doing McDavid justice. Thanks again!**

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NCIS

David growled in Tim's ear as he nibbled just underneath it, igniting Tim's sensitive spot. Tim inhaled from the sensation and pushed down on his bed, pressing him harder against his lover who pushed him back with a buck of his hips. Tim felt the fire radiating from David's chest on his back, and stayed pressed against him like he was the only thing keeping him alive. Their rhythm sent Tim's pendant rocking back and forth as it hung from his neck. Tim's arms slid out in front of him, bringing the rest of his body down and David's on top of it. David slid his strong arms around Tim's torso and shoulders as he kept up the slow rhythm. He licked and nibbled his way down Tim's neck while Tim's hands grappled for anything they could find to push him further onto David's shaft.

"Please…" Tim begged, "More… Harder…"

David tweaked one of Tim's nipples and slammed into him, causing the latter to yelp in pleasure. David increased his speed and pressure, then let his bristly beard slide down the other side of Tim's neck leaving tingling sensations all over.

"I don't think you're ready, baby," David teased.

"No—please, please, give it to me," Tim pleaded.

"Ohhh… someone's begging?"

"YES! MORE!"

David gnawed at a special spot he had found on Tim's collar. Just high enough to be sensitive, and just low enough not to show at work. His breathing got steadily heavier and heavier. David then pulled back and out of Tim, but then quickly turned him over and plunged back in so Tim never felt the emptiness. He pulled Tim to him even tighter if it were possible, and picked up his speed even further. He wasn't going to last much longer, and he wanted to look into those pleading green eyes when he came.

Tim hooked his legs tightly around David's hips and his arms around David's back. He was almost lifting himself off the bed with the force of David's thrusts, and wanted nothing more than to simply melt into his lover. His eyes tried to close in pleasure, but he also wanted to see David's eyes light up as he climaxed.

"Timmy…"

"Yes!"

"I'm gonna…"

"YES!"

David seized as he gripped Tim like a vise, his orgasm rocking through his body into Tim. Tim felt the warmth in him and around him as he was held tight by his lover, and felt as if his world was suspended in that infinite moment.

After an eternity, David felt himself slip out of Tim, and he sleepily whispered, "Good morning to you too."

David rolled to the side, and Tim slid over and nestled his head on David's chest. They entwined fingers, and Tim gave a sleepy yet satisfied groan. They were laying in Tim's bedroom as the sun shone in, both hoping that the alarm clock wouldn't disrupt their perfectly wonderful morning.

After a few more minutes, Tim finally spoke, "I was worried I tired you out too much during the first round for you to top me too, but I just couldn't resist. I feel like my body's been on backlog for activity."

"I'm not complaining," David said and gave Tim a soft kiss. "I just hope your next case doesn't take you to a land bustling with hot men while you're _in heat_."

"Pshh stop it," Tim said, laughing. "You're my only man, and I'm not a special on _Animal Planet_ so the only thing that needs to be ' _in heat'_ is the coffee if either of us are actually going to get to work on time."

"Mmmm I'll agree to me being your only man, definitely to the coffee, _maybe_ to the whole _Animal Planet_ thing, but my two-hour drive to work can wait a few more minutes."

David rolled over on top of Tim and started peppering him with kisses until just a second later when the alarm clock started beeping.

"I said a few minutes!" David protested.

Tim chuckled and repeatedly hit the alarm clock until his hand hit the button to turn it off. "Come on, lazy butt. Coffee and jogging time," he said. He groaned as he got up, then headed to the bathroom.

As David begrudgingly got up to change, he saw another picture had been put on Tim's nightstand. It was from a picnic date they had gone on a few months ago near the end of September. They were in Rock Creek Park, David was propped up against a tree wearing a black flat cap and a vintage Dr. Pepper shirt. He was looking down at Tim, who was lying face-up on David's stomach looking up at him while wearing an open button-down plaid shirt and a plain white shirt underneath. Jethro was also on his back looking up with his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. Tim and David both had wide smiles and were looking right into each other's eyes.

Tim walked back in from the bathroom and saw David handling the picture. "Oh yeah, I printed that one up. I also have the one that Abby took of us at the barbecue on the refrigerator, but this one's my favorite."

"I love the barbecue one," he said, recalling how wonderful each moment felt. "I have that one on my desk," David said while getting up. He crossed the room over to Tim and gave him a quick kiss before heading into the bathroom himself.

Tim sat on the edge of the bed putting on his jogging clothes. The familiar sinking feeling of David having to leave again crept into his chest.

When David walked back in, he could tell Tim was feeling the same way he was. The sad eyes, the pouting lip, sitting on the edge of the bed trying to stall, classic signs of the "wish you didn't have to go" talk. They both did it, they both knew when the other was about to, too.

"Me too," David said sitting next to him. He figured he didn't have to wait for Tim to say what he was obviously feeling.

"Well, what if you didn't? Have to go, I mean," Tim said with a hint of fear in his voice.

"You mean?" David started.

"Yeah."

"Do you think we're ready for that?"

"I don't know. I just hate this feeling."

David leaned against Tim. "Me too. I loved when we exchanged keys, but this would take things a whole lot further. Would… would you tell your family?"

Tim hadn't thought about that. "Honestly, I haven't spoken to my dad in almost… four years? My mom in about that time too," he answered. "My parents divorced a long time ago. My mom now lives in Texas. My sister Sarah is a senior in college now. We keep in touch but not exactly close because we're both so busy, even though she lives on campus near here. I helped her through a bit of a rough patch a couple of years ago, but we've still just been living our separate lives. I do talk to my grandmother occasionally, but we were closer when I was young. You told me over Christmas that you don't really have family. What about your parents?"

David's tone dropped a little, which caused Tim to worry. "After Kevin died, my parents said some pretty shitty things about him at the funeral. They tried to say that our _lifestyle-_ " he said the word with obvious spite and a roll of his eyes "-caused his death and would cause mine. I have 3 brothers and 2 sisters, but I haven't spoken with any of them since that day because none of them stood up for me. I'm starting to reconnect with some old friends, like Liz in DC, but otherwise it's mainly you, your friends, and my work friends. I'm kinda an older brother to a few people at work, but that's mainly when we're at work. We don't meet up much outside of it."

"And at work they all know?"

"Yeah, I told them about you last week when Eric, the new manager, had asked about that night we were baking. Liz knew since I told her why I was coming down that second time you and I met. My old friends knew Kevin, but we've lost touch."

Tim nodded. "I think Sarah would be ok with it. Surprised, but ok. Penny, my grandmother, I'm sure would be ok. I'm just concerned about my parents. I don't think I ever told you, my dad is an Admiral in the Navy."

"Holy crap, no you never told me about that. Is that why you haven't spoken in so long?"

"No, he's just… well he was disappointed that I went with NCIS instead of being in the Navy itself. Nothing I ever did was good enough."

"Well I, for one, am very proud of what you do, Timmy," David said and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You've put away some pretty tough people and you just keep on going."

"Thanks, and I really admire what you do, too. You're not even 30 but you own a successful business doing something you love to do. That's incredible."

"Thank you. I really love this, Tim. Us. I love how we are, and where we're going. I don't want to put any pressure on you to do anything with your family, but I don't want there to be a rift between you and your family because we took this kind of step."

"I'd never let family come between us, but you're probably right. Let's give it some more time. I'm not going anywhere."

"Neither am I."

"Good. Love you," Tim said with a kiss.

"Love you too."

They finished getting dressed and each tried to think of a more cheerful topic while jogging. After David left, Tim sat for a while wondering if maybe it really was too soon to broach the topic of moving in together, but David wasn't scared off. That was a good sign for them, and it meant Tim could move on with his week without worrying more than usual about their relationship and what was next for them.

NCIS

That night, Tim and Ziva were settling in at the Bed and Breakfast in Stillwater, PA where they were investigating their case. Stillwater was Gibbs' hometown, and brought up many questions about Gibbs' childhood. They had already met his father, Jackson, and had seen their interactions. It was getting late and was a long day of searching for evidence after the five-hour drive.

"So Ziva," Tim said while unpacking, "what do you think of Gibbs' dad so far?"

"He seems quite charming. There's obvious tension between him and Gibbs, but it's almost funny to see," she said while brushing her hair.

"It's just amazing seeing Gibbs as a human being, and acting like a teenager in front of his dad. It's just so weird!"

"At least I know I'm not the only one with a tense paternal relationship."

"Do any of us have a relaxed relationship with our fathers? Even Tony has horror stories about his."

"I don't hear much about yours, McGee."

"Actually David and I had the same talk about that this morning, funny enough."

"Really? He asked about your family and told you about his?"

"Yeah. He said he cut them off after they said something about his late husband at his funeral. Pretty harsh stuff, too. If it was truly as bad as he said, I doubt I'll ever even want to meet them."

"Things between my father and I are… strained… as well," Ziva replied. "We disagree on a lot of things. I sometimes find it hard to trust him, but I have to nonetheless. What about your father?"

"Haven't spoken in years. Just never saw eye-to-eye about anything."

"What brought on the conversation between you and David?" she asked with a curious look.

"We were just both feeling sad about him having to leave again. I… didn't exactly ask him to move in, but I asked what he'd think if we did."

Ziva's eyes widened with excitement and she began listening intently. "And?" she asked.

"He said 'not yet,' but that he wants to eventually."

"Aww. Did he say why not?"

"He said we're not ready, and I kind of agree, but he would still be willing to try after a little longer. We've been together for eight months, not even a full year. Plus it would require one of us to change or lose our jobs. I doubt I could be on call with a two-hour commute, so I guess that would mean he'd have to come here or I'd have to find another office."

"And if he came here, that'd mean selling his house and business."

"I just told him this morning how proud I was of him for having that business. How can I ask him to leave it?"

"Can't he simply move his business to a new site down closer to you?"

"I suppose, but that's still a lot to ask. I think he's also somewhat hesitant because I haven't told my family about him yet. He says it isn't, but I think that it still weighs on him a little."

"Not even your sister? I thought you two were close."

"Closer than my parents, but I've been giving her space because of her studies."

"Do you want her to meet him?"

"Honestly, before today I didn't even think about it. It just hasn't been really the focus of things. You guys were more what I was worried about as far as meeting him, and he feels the same way. You're more like family to me," Tim said with a warm smile.

"Thanks, Tim. That means a lot. I've always tried to look after you like you were my brother. You were one of the first to accept me after Kate's death."

"You earned my trust and respect, just like you earned all of ours. David's concerned that my parents won't take to us as well. His didn't with his last relationship, and now he doesn't speak to them. Mine might be the same, but I don't talk to them as much anyway."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about trying to move in together too quickly, Tim. Not right now, at least. Your relationship is stable, and that's not something everyone can say," Ziva said with a hint of jealousy which Tim caught.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he looked at her quizzically. "Ziva, are you seeing someone?"

"No. Well," she paused, "No."

"Ok, who are you decidedly _not_ seeing?" Tim said with a raised eyebrow.

"Nobody."

"Oh come on, Ziva. One, you obviously have someone on your mind. Two, I trusted you when David and I were getting started."

"Ok, ok. His name is Michael."

"And where did you meet _Michael_?" he asked with overacted intrigue.

"In Israel, when the team was split up. We've kept in contact since."

"Mossad?"

She looked at him for a moment, then decided to tell the truth. "Yes."

"You don't seem happy about that," he said with concern.

"He works for my father, and therefore I cannot trust him fully."

"But you have strong feelings for him?"

"Yes. Eventually, if he proves he can be trusted, it may go a little further."

"Thank you for telling me, Ziva."

"Do not tell Tony, under any circumstances."

"Never even crossed my mind," he said as he picked up his phone.

"Hey, no Tony!" she said, watching him carefully.

"I'm calling David, Ms. Nosey. I just want to make sure things are ok and to say goodnight. I do it every night."

She eyed him suspiciously, but finally said, "Ok."

Tim stepped out into the hallway to make the call.

" _Hey Timmy. Busy day at work?"_

"Actually somewhat enlightening. We're in Stillwater, Pennsylvania. Case took us here."

" _Stillwater? I don't think I've even heard of it."_

"It's Gibbs' hometown, about three hours north of you."

" _Gibbs' hometown? I bet Tony flipped his lid at the chance to go."_

"He did, and he isn't here."

" _No! Did you trick him like he tricked you for Baghdad?"_

"Didn't have to, but we video chatted with him today from Gibb's dad's store and he was absolutely green with envy. I've also been sending him pictures with me and Ziva out here just to torture him."

David cackled on the other line. _"Oh that is excellent! I hope you're having a good time, even though it is the ever-exotic middle-of-nowhere part of PA."_

"I am, actually. Gibbs' dad is really interesting. They're so different it's almost night and day. And everyone here knows each other."

" _That's good then, that should help your case."_

"Let's hope so. How about you? How's work?"

" _So far so good. I tried three different red velvet recipes in preparation for Valentine's Day next month. I think I have it down, but I'll test it once more tomorrow morning before giving out samples."_

"And… about our talk this morning, are you ok? It was just a bit of a downer, all the bad memories. I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

" _Thanks baby, I'm ok. I guess when we first got together I considered the team to be more your family than anyone else, and didn't really think about actual relatives until moving in was brought up. I shouldn't have assumed, and I didn't mean to sound like I was pressuring you into coming out or introducing me. I'm sorry."_

"No, no. Don't be sorry. You even said it before when Abby needed help. The team is my family, which makes them your family too. And especially after this party we threw on Christmas, I think they're feeling the same. Besides, I've decided I want you to meet Sarah. I think it's a good idea and want to take that step. Plus if anything I think she'll be jealous that I landed a hunk that knows his way around a kitchen."

" _Oh stop!"_ David said. Tim could tell he was smiling. _"You're making me blush."_

"I'm serious, though," Tim said with a smile of his own. "Sometime soon, I'll get us set up for dinner with her before Valentine's Day."

" _Are you sure? I don't want you doing this just because I said it wasn't time for us to move in together yet."_

"I'm very sure. And I still agree with you that it's too soon for that, but I think it is time that she met you.

" _Then I'll be happy to. Will you come to the shop sometime while I work so I can show everyone my Special Agent Arm Candy?"_

"Oh my god, please tell me you haven't called me that at work…"

" _Oh come on, what's the point of dating a super smart federal agent if I don't get to show him off?"  
_

"Ohhh I will get you for it but yes, I'll be your _Special Agent Arm Candy_ ," he spoke the pet name bitterly.

" _I promise not to call you that. At least, not in front of you… But yes! Sign me up for that dinner. Just let me know when."_

"I will. Anyway, I should get to bed. I love you."

" _I love you too baby. Sleep well."_

Tim felt better, and didn't feel like shaking off his smile when he walked back into the room. Ziva was lying in bed tucked in with a book.

"Everything ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, great, actually. We decided to have dinner with my sister soon."

"That's a big step!"

"Yeah. But I'm happy to take it. Anyway, good night."

"Good night," she said as she turned out the lights. After a moment in the darkness, she finally giggled out, "Special Agent Arm Candy…"

" _ZIVA!"_


	2. Chapter 2

NCIS

Tony stared intently at the phone on his desk waiting for the only call that would matter today. Ziva sat on the cabinet behind his desk playing with her knife while enjoying the strange face Tony made in his concentration. He shifted to refresh a page on his computer, then upon verifying his findings he returned to staring at the phone. McGee strolled cheerfully from the elevator to the bullpen. When he saw the look on Tony's face, his smile started to fall.

"Tell me it didn't," McGee said.

"Arrived just this morning, _McLate._ Just waiting on the call," Tony replied with suspense.

"You're surprised, McGee? You didn't think-" Ziva started

"-that it would come today? I planned for shipping delays. Thought it would be tomorrow," McGee sighed.

"Why's that a problem?" Tony asked. "We've been waiting for this."

"Tonight was the only night I could get my sister and David over for dinner at the same time."

Ziva pursed her lips and returned her focus to her knife. "That's a big step, McGee, and you're well on your way to blowing it."

Tony's eyes never left the phone, but he said, "You'd better call them and cancel fast, _McDeadMeat_. Once we get started, you won't have any time to make calls."

The team planned a wargame to lure out a mole in NCIS. They had been planning it for the last three days, and McGee thought he had everything figured out just right. They needed to ship a dead body to a military facility to grant them basic base access, and McGee calculated the average time and anticipated delivery for the fifth day. But with its early arrival, he would be trapped inside a surveillance van until Ziva and Tony had finished their breach of the facility, which would be long after his scheduled dinner with David and Sarah. McGee set his bag down at his desk, and picked up his phone hoping neither of the people he had to call would answer. He picked Sarah's contact and dialed, and thankfully it went straight to voicemail.

" _Hi, you've reached Sarah McGee. Chances are I'm studying, so leave a message and I'll try to get back to you."_

"Hey, Sarah, it's Tim. Listen, I'm sorry but work has me really busy tonight and I won't be back until really late. I promise to reschedule you meeting David when it's all over. Love you, bye."

' _Well that wasn't so bad,'_ McGee thought to himself. _'Let's just hope David doesn't answer either.'_ He dialed David, but after only a couple of rings he answered.

" _Mmmm, hey you,"_ he said sleepily. _"Missed you this morning."_

Guilt poured over McGee. He could never resist David's sleepy voice and felt like he was about to kick a sad puppy. "I didn't have the heart to wake you. Is Jethro keeping you company?"

" _Yeah, he's sunbathing next to me on the bed. If I lift my hand away from petting him for even a second he gives me a dirty look."_

"You promise you won't give me one?"

" _A dirty look? Depends, what have you done?"_

"Not exactly done, more like have to do."

David groaned on the line. _"No, you're not cancelling tonight are you?"_

"I'm really sorry, I have to," McGee said as he cautiously looked around. "We've got something going on and it's really important. I won't even be able to call, much less leave."

" _It's ok, Tim. I know it's not your fault. I've just been stressing about meeting Sarah and was really hoping to make a good impression tonight."_

"I called Sarah and left a message already, but I promise we'll make it happen as soon as this is wrapped up. I'm not sure if I'll be home tonight, but hopefully I will. Are you going to stay at the apartment tonight or take Jethro home with you?"

" _I think I'll stay here. If you are back tonight, I'd rather be here when you got home even if you'll be busy tomorrow too. Text me when you can, ok?"_

"I will. You're amazing, and I love you."

" _I love you too, baby."_

McGee ended the call, and sunk his head into his hands. He hated disappointing David, and it seemed like that kept happening whenever work was involved. He looked back at Tony's desk, and quickly thought of a way to try to cheer up his morning.

The desk phone rang, and Tony pounced on it like a cat on its prey. "Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo," he said in his coolest 'Agent' voice.

"Just want to make sure it's working," McGee said over the line from his desk.

Tony shot a nasty look over to McGee, saying, "This… is _serious,_ McGee." He slammed down the phone and gritted his teeth. "This is game time. This is the moment before the gun. Focus."

"Hey, why should I be the only one on edge?" McGee said with a somewhat satisfied smile.

Just then Gibbs walked into the bullpen, and Tony perked up excitedly.

"Tip-off?" Tony asked with hope.

"Just got the call," Gibbs said.

The team hastily grabbed their gear and followed him to the elevator.

NCIS

Sarah McGee stepped out of her cab in front of Tim's apartment complex. The January evening air was crisp, but she wasn't paying attention. She was slightly nervous about meeting this _David_. She kept playing her conversation with Tim over and over in her head to try and determine what David would be like.

' _I want you to come over and meet someone,"_ Tim had said. _'His name is David, and I think you'll love him.'_

She really didn't think she needed Tim's help getting a boyfriend, especially if it was one of Tim's dorky MIT friends. Her grades were good enough that she could be the Queen of the Nerds if she wanted to be, but that wasn't really her type. She had enough of the regular college guys, too. She wanted someone exciting, someone who actually had a life. But still, Tim's offer would have to do if she didn't want to be alone in a couple of weeks on Valentine's Day. And at least she'd get dinner out of it tonight. She wore her favorite red wool coat, a nice blouse and dress pants. She thought about wearing a dress but she usually saved those for men she knew she wanted to impress. Her long brown hair was let down to one side, slightly disheveled, but it looked good enough for her at the moment.

She walked quickly through the cold up to Tim's apartment and knocked. She heard the deep barking of a dog which was completely foreign to her. _'Tim got a dog?'_ she thought to herself. She didn't hear footsteps, so she knocked again. She finally heard the sound of Tim coming to the door, but was not expecting someone else to be there instead.

"Hello?" David said.

Sarah's head instantly went into a cloud. There stood a handsome man, only a few years older than her, at just the perfect height to not make her look as short as she normally looked, with blue sparkling eyes, a thick, short beard encompassing his jaw, bulging biceps that made her nethers tingle, tips of rebellious tattoos coming down from the hem of his short sleeves, and with a pair of bad-boy cartilage piercings. _'Oh my god, Tim I will owe you for the rest of my life!'_ she thought to herself as she absentmindedly ran her fingers through her long hair to try and tame it further. He was only dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, but seemed fairly clean. _'Not exactly 'first date' attire but that shirt does wonders for his arms. He's a bit soft in the chest but good GOD he's like a sexy teddy bear!'_ Her face lifted into an aloof smile.

"Can I help you?" David said, looking curiously at the woman frozen in Tim's doorway.

"Oh- um, I'm Sarah, Tim's sister. Are you… David?" she asked with hope.

"Oh! Yeah, I'm… David. Listen, I'm sorry, I thought Tim left you a message. He's been called in for something heavy for work, and probably won't be home until really late tonight if not tomorrow."

"Oh! I um…" she started with a nervous giggle, "I had a clumsy moment and spilled my coffee all over my phone yesterday on the way to class. I haven't been able to use it since, but my replacement should be here tomorrow."

"Oh I see," he said nervously. ' _She seems pretty calm, he must've told her about our relationship over the phone the other day. But what do I do now?'_ his mind raced.

"If he's gone, why are you here?" she asked, trying not to sound rude to her potential future husband.

"I stay here a lot to help take care of Jethro."

"Jethro?"

"The dog," he said just as Jethro came up to the door to greet the visitor.

"Wow, I didn't even know he had a dog. He's cute!" she said with a flirtatious smile.

' _Well, I'd better at least be hospitable. She's here, after all,'_ he thought to himself."Would you- would you like to come in? It's kinda miserable outside."

"Oh, thanks, if you wouldn't mind," she said, adding 'manners' and 'cute when nervous' to his list of pros.

"Not at all," he stepped aside to let her in.

She made her way past the kitchen and left her coat on a hook. Jethro sniffed her meticulously, then went back to his bed in the living room after deeming her safe. She looked around, and saw the place had changed since she had last been there just over two years ago. The couch was new, the desks had been rearranged, and there were pictures in frames scattered around the place. It seemed warmer now, more lived-in and less like a sterile office. Before looking closer at the pictures, her senses were overcome by the wonderful smell coming from the kitchen.

"Mmm, smells delicious in here. Are you cooking?" she asked as she sat at the small nook carved out of the wall between the kitchen and living room.

"I am. I'm actually making the dinner I was going to make for us tonight. I didn't want the food to go to waste," he said as he turned away from her to face the stove.

Her jaw dropped and her heart stopped as she got a look at his denim-framed behind. _'He's built, he's nice, he cooks, and his butt is legendary. He's got everything but the white horse! This has to be a dream.'_

' _She seems to be pretty relaxed about me basically living here. Thank god, now I can try to relax a little bit,'_ David thought to himself. "It's called Tuscan Chicken Mac and Cheese," David continued. "I hope you like it, I've only made it once before." He brought a forkful over to her and let her taste it.

Letting the flavors roll over her tongue, she looked dreamily up at David. She finally had to ask, "Ok, hold on, how exactly did you and Tim meet? I mean, you just, don't seem to be the type he'd typically spend time with."

David was slightly taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"Oh no, no, don't take that the wrong way. I mean, my brother is a pixie stick, and you're-" _'gorgeous!'_ "-obviously someone who works out, so you most likely didn't meet at the gym, right?"

"Oh," David gave a relieved smile, "no we met online on this MMORPG."

' _There's the dork,'_ she smiled to herself. _'The pros still heavily outweigh the cons.'_ "That's cool," she lied, "so you must've known each other for quite a while time if he lets you stay over at his apartment all the time."

"Yeah, we first met in person about eight months ago. He's really great. He's told me a lot about you, too."

"All good things, I hope," she said with an enticing smile.

He was a little confused by her smile, but he didn't take it to heart. "All good things. Honestly, I've been really nervous. I, uh, didn't expect to meet you without Tim here."

"That's ok, now I get to hear more about you directly from the source. He didn't give me much to work with."

"That's my Timmy. Work gets him somewhat scatterbrained about everything else."

' _He seems pretty chummy with Tim. MY Timmy? Interesting.'_

' _Tim probably wanted to let me tell her about myself anyway.'_

"So what do you do for a living, David?" she asked as she propped her head up on her arms. She liked doing that for guys, it helped show interest and push out her breasts at the same time. _'Please don't have a boring job like Tim…'_

"I own a bakery up in Pennsylvania."

' _Own!'_ her mind raced. "Own a bakery? Wow, that's pretty cool. How did you manage that? You're only, maybe, 30?"

"29," he corrected, "and I came into a little money after college. It helped me pay for my condo and starting the business. I love baking, so opening a bakery just made sense." _'I hope I'm impressing her. I don't want her to think I'm leeching off of Tim.'_

' _Our children will be beautiful and have money for college, and he already has a house!'_ She was barely containing her soaring heart. ' _If he says one more good thing like that, I might actually faint. And then he can carry me into bed in his strong arms! Ew, wait, Tim's bed…'_

"Are you ok?" David asked.

"Oh yeah," she said in a daze.

"Well enough about me, tell me about you. He said you're a senior in college?"

"Yeah, I'm studying English Lit'. I want to be a writer like Tim. I accidentally got him into trouble last time I was here, I told his coworkers about his book, and apparently they didn't know they were in it. I don't think you were a character, though." _'I'd certainly have remembered…'_

"No, that was long before we had met. I think it's great that he's still been writing. He was in a slump for a while, but he got out of it and…" he stopped. _'Oh shit…'_

"And what?" she asked.

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone," he said.

"Oh come on, I'm his sister, you can tell me anything. I promise to keep it a secret," she said excitedly.

"Ok, well his publisher accepted his latest manuscript. He's about to be published again!"

"Oh my god! That's wonderful!" she exclaimed as she clapped her hands together.

"I know, I'm really proud of him."

"Me too. I hope it's as good as the last one."

"He hasn't let me read it yet, but I'm sure it will be. Well dinner's almost ready, would you mind getting the plates?"

"Sure!"

As she walked into the kitchen, she saw a picture on the refrigerator of David and Tim. They were outside in what looked like a back yard, cheek-to-cheek, and both taking a bite from the same corn cob while looking at the camera.

"Wow, you and Tim are really close," she said, grabbing the plates.

"Yeah. I love him. He's a great guy," David said.

' _Very close,'_ she thought, and began to feel suspicious. _'Can we stop talking about my brother now?'_

She carried the plates just out of the kitchen when David said, "In fact, the first time I was here I barely made it two minutes in the door before I kissed him."

The apartment filled with the crashing sounds of dropped plates.


	3. Chapter 3

NCIS

Jethro was up and barking at the sudden crash of the shattering plates. David rushed out to see Sarah standing frozen over the mess.

"Are you ok?!" he instantly asked.

She slowly turned around, her face in a state of mortified shock. "Did you just say… you _kissed_ my _brother?_ " One by one, the beautiful children in her head disappeared.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I? He's my boyfr-" he slowly started to realize. "Holy shit, you didn't know?!"

"Know?! I thought he was trying to set me up!" she yelled in horror.

"Set- what?! No! I'm his boyfriend!" David didn't realize he was also yelling.

They slowly absorbed it.

"Oh, oh," she repeated.

"Oh my god," he said, until they then shouted together in embarrassment, _"FUCK!"_

Sarah bolted for the bedroom door, closed it behind her, and locked it.

David stood frozen on the spot, not believing what just happened. As he convinced his muscles to fish his phone out of his pocket to call Tim, Sarah grabbed the landline phone next to the bed and dialed him as well. Their calls both went to voicemail since Tim had his phone off for the day, but they both left messages anyway.

 **David:** _Hello, Timothy McGee, this is your loving boyfriend, David. If you ever intend to walk upon this earth again, YOU WILL TELL ME WHY YOUR SISTER THINKS YOU'RE SETTING ME UP WITH HER! She showed up because she never got your message! I was trying to be nice and trying to impress her for you, and she thought it was so she'd date me! What the hell do I do now?! She'll think I lead her on and that I'm a complete ass! Call me back, please!_

 **Sarah:** _TIMOTHY FARRAGUT MCGEE, YOU ANSWER THIS PHONE RIGHT NOW! Why didn't you tell me David was your boyfriend? And for that matter, SINCE WHEN DO YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND?! I made a COMPLETE idiot out of myself out there! I'm sitting here locked in your bedroom. OH MY GOD, I'M IN YOUR BEDROOM! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GO BACK OUT THERE?! Call me back, dumbass!_

They each stood isolated in separate rooms, trying to take deep breaths and assess the situation.

' _Okay,'_ David thought to himself. _'Just serve dinner like a regular human, apologize profusely, throw in a bit of groveling, and start the conversation over? Simple. Real simple. Crap.'_

Sarah's mind was also racing. _'Tim's gay?! When did that even happen? And that guy out there is his boyfriend? How fucking fair is that? I've been looking for a guy like that for ages and haven't found one, and he gets one on his first try! Oh shit, is this even his first try? Were there others he never told me about?!'_

' _Should I say something? If she leaves should I just let her or try to explain? What if she tells their parents? Oh no, she'll see another picture on the nightstand! What if she flips out again?!'_

Sarah set the phone back on its base. As she did, she saw another photo of Tim and David. They looked so happy, looking at each other. _'Is this really my brother? David said he loves him. Does Tim love him, too? He wanted me to meet him. It has to be serious if he does. Oh man, I just yelled at the guy. He must be freaking out right now. But how do I go back out there? Breathe, just breathe.'_

She got up and slowly unlocked and opened the bedroom door. David stood up straight from leaning on the counter when he heard it. She slowly walked out towards the kitchen.

He started, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to yell-"

"No, no, I'm sorry I freaked out. The plates-" she saw the mess still on the ground.

"Oh, here, let me get that." He fetched a small brush and dustpan.

"Let me help," she said, grabbing some of the larger pieces and throwing them in the trash.

David brushed up the remaining pieces and dust and dumped them into the trash as well. After putting the brush and dustpan away, he turned back to Sarah and awkwardly started to say, "I'm so embarrassed, I thought-"

" _You're_ embarrassed? I can't even _tell_ you the things I was thinking," she shyly held her hands to her face.

They both let out nervous laughs and breathed a little easier.

"Can- can we try that again?" David asked. He held out his hand, "I'm David, I'm… Tim's stupid boyfriend."

She chuckled and nodded her head before shaking his hand, "I'm Sarah, Tim's stupid sister."

"I, uh, made dinner!" he tried to recover.

"Yes, and uh, I made a mess! Do you want to try getting the plates this time?" she laughed.

"Yes, yes I can do that."

Sarah sat at the counter while David got new plates and served the food. He debated whether or not to go and sit next to her, but she seemed to have calmed down so he went ahead.

"So," he started, "I'm sorry but I have to ask. What exactly did Tim say that… made you think…?"

"He said, word for word, _'I want you to come over and meet someone. His name is David, and I think you'll love him.'_ It never even crossed my mind that it was because he was _seeing_ you, and so close to Valentine's Day I thought… ugh I am _so_ sorry for how I acted," she said apologetically.

"No, no, don't be. He never told you, so there was no way you could've known. Does he have a history of trying to set you up?"

"Nope, but he's never told me about wanting to see a guy before, so it was the only scenario I could imagine."

They slowly began eating.

"So," she started this time, "is Tim _gay_? Or bi? Or… something? I thought he's had girlfriends before. Or at least, interest in women."

"I'm pretty sure he's bi. He told me he never really thought about it one way or the other. He had never been with a guy until me, and it just kinda fell into place. It fit perfectly with both of us."

"And you've been together for _eight months_? Why didn't he tell me?"

"It's been a bit of a ride, I can tell you that much. His work is pretty intense, but it's worth it even if it does kinda mess with his personal life a bit."

"You're telling me," she said quietly.

"What do you mean?" David looked intrigued.

"Oh, yeah I got mixed up in one of his cases one time. It sucked."

"He told me he helped you out of a rough patch a while back, did it have something to do with his work?"

"Yeah. This bitchy cheerleader tried to frame me for something. I showed up here high on GHB that she spiked me with, and all this evidence pointed to me. Tim nearly resigned trying to protect me."

"Wow. He never told me about that."

"Yeah. We found enough evidence to show that she did it though. What about you? Does he tell you about all of his cases?"

"When he can. And since you told me about yours, I guess fair is fair."

She looked at him curiously.

He explained, "About six months ago, I helped him take down a drug trafficking ring run by street racers. I used to be a racer too, so I helped NCIS find them. It went pretty badly, but we got them all."

"'It went badly but you got them all?' What do you mean?"

"I got… injured… during a fight with the head of the organization. I had to have one of my kidneys out. Tim was beside himself with guilt for a little while during my recovery, but we sorta helped each other get over the whole thing." He turned and pointed to the refrigerator. "That picture up there is my favorite. A few weeks after my surgery, I could eat solid food again. I had him and his friends come up to have a barbecue. I felt back to normal, and we were finally able to be ourselves again. It's a feeling I knew never to take for granted again."

"I saw the picture in the bedroom, too. I've never seen him look so happy."

"So… you approve?"

"Approve? Of him being happy?"

"Of him seeing another guy. We were kinda worried about how the family would react."

"Oh please, I don't care about that! Tim's life is hard enough without cutting his chances of finding someone in half. I'm just glad he's happy," she laughed.

David breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, I've been so nervous wondering about that. What do you think your parents will say?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think Mom will have too much of a problem. Dad… well he's Dad. And even if he doesn't react well, Tim doesn't really talk to him anyway. They've never gotten along. He and Penny were always close when he was young, and she's very new-age-y so I doubt she'll have a problem."

"When I told my parents about my first relationship, it destroyed our relationship as family. We tried to rebuild it, but then it collapsed again. I just don't want him to have to go through all that pain, too."

"So you've had other boyfriends?" she asked.

"I had a serious partner a few years ago. He died in a car crash." David looked down at his food then back up at Sarah. "It's funny, a few months ago I would've broken down just saying that out loud. I guess that's another thing that Tim helped me live with. Something about him just makes everything better."

She looked at him and asked, "So you really love him?"

"With all my heart. I've loved him since I first met him."

"Good. If you break his heart, I don't care if you're twice my size, I will end you. And his NCIS friends will clean up the evidence."

"Not gonna be a problem. In fact, I've been looking into moving down here to be with him."

"Really? Moving in together?"

"Yeah. We just started talking about it, and I've been doing some of my own research into what it would take for me to move. I've been really conflicted about it, but I think I've just been scared about starting that part of my life over. It's been nice having the security and success of my business up there, but now… it just feels wrong every time we have to leave to go home. At first I kinda hoped he'd move up with me since I already own a bigger place, but I don't think I could ever do that to him. NCIS isn't just work, the team's his family. I couldn't tear him away from that."

"What about you? Do you have family?"

"Not really. My employees and I are sorta like family, but not nearly to the extent of Tim's team. They'd be sad to see me go, but life would go on. But if even one of Tim's family isn't there, it's just all wrong."

"So you're willing to move down here just for him? Leave everything else, even the business?"

"Yeah. I have a lot of work to do, but I don't want him to know that I'm looking into it just yet. When we're ready, I want to be able to make the move without any restraints or regrets."

"That's really sweet of you, doing all that. And now that I think about it, it'll be nice to have an almost-brother-in-law in the area."

"You think?" David said, blushing.

"Yeah. Although, I can't imagine what'll run through Tim's head when he hears the voicemail I left on his phone."

"You left him one, too?"

"Yep."

"I'll have to talk with him about him leaving messages. Next thing you know, he'll leave one telling you we're adopting, and only after you have to call him back he'll tell you he was talking about puppies."

Sarah chuckled. "I wonder when he'll be turning his phone back on."

They both looked at each other and both got mischievous looks in their eyes.

"Wanna have some fun?" she asked.

NCIS

It was close to 2300 when McGee got back to NCIS. His head ached from the failed mission, and he just wanted to get home and back to David. As he approached the bullpen, he saw Abby twirling around some scissors from his desk.

"Hey, Abs," he said.

She was startled when he interrupted her focused twirling. "Hey!" She looked around, but didn't see the usual team come back together. "You alone?"

"Yeah," he said as he set down his gear. "Gibbs sent me back. I thought you didn't have any work to do. What are you doing here so late?"

"What are _you_ doing here so late? I thought you told me you had a big dinner tonight."

McGee mulled it over for a moment. "I guess I'm allowed to talk about it now. I had to cancel the dinner because we had a mission. It was a wargame."

"Oh, I understand," Abby said.

"Yeah. We failed." Then something clicked in his head. "Wait, why do you understand?"

"What do you mean?" she asked while nervously playing with some tape. "I'm understanding."

He narrowed his eyes. "I understand that you're understanding, but what are you understanding? How often do we go off on secret wargame missions?"

"Never."

"Yet you were not surprised to hear that we were on one?"

"Stop interrogating me, McGee. I'm understanding that you had to cancel your plans with David because of work. It's happened plenty of times before."

McGee let out a sigh. "Yeah. I haven't even turned my phone on yet, I wonder if he messaged me at all."

"You should go home," she said.

"I will in a bit, but don't think you're off the hook. You've been acting weird for days."

"I _am_ weird!" she said as she turned back towards Gibbs' desk to get more tape.

McGee shook his head as he powered on his phone. He saw three voicemails on it, two from David's cell and curiously one from his landline. He started to panic, hoping everything was ok. As he started the voicemail from his landline, he had to hold the phone away from his ear as to not go deaf from the sound of his sister's yelling. Abby quickly turned around to hear what the racket was, and quickly had to hide her wide grin behind her hand as she listened. McGee looked somewhat pale at the end of the message, then slowly tapped David's voicemail as if he were expecting a bomb to go off. Abby slowly slid down Gibb's desk while laughing uncontrollably to the sound of David's plea for help over the phone.

McGee started the third voicemail, but it was quieter than the others so Abby couldn't hear what they were saying. As the rest of the color drained from McGee's face, his jaw dropped and his eyes gaped open, which also entertained the nearly-hyperventilating Abby. After it ended, he dropped the phone on his desk and laid his head face-down on his arms.

"Alright, you've _gotta_ tell me what the last one was," Abby said between laughs.

"I'm so dead," he said slowly.

She got up and went over to his desk. "Come on, Tim, I'm sure whatever it was it'll be ok. They didn't get along?"

"Worse," he looked up at her gravely, "they've bonded over something stupid I did and they're going to torture me with it for the rest of my life. I can't even say out loud what they are planning."

Abby used every bit of concentration she had to retain her composure. "I'm sure it'll be just fine. Go home, and you'll see there's nothing to worry about." She walked out of the bullpen but only made it halfway to the elevator before letting out another hefty laugh.


	4. Chapter 4

NCIS

Tim slipped quietly into the dark apartment, hoping Jethro wouldn't make too much noise and wake David. He heard Jethro jump off the bed, but thankfully he didn't bark as he bounded over to see his master.

"Hey buddy," he said affectionately while petting him.

He continued quietly through the apartment with only the light from the outside providing guidance. Through the darkness he saw David stir slightly in an otherwise peaceful sleep, and Tim edged his way to the bathroom to try and take a quiet shower before bed. While he showered, he thought of David sleeping there and wondered how many times David would have to sleep alone even if he lived here permanently. Doubt crept into his mind as he thought of Gibbs' many divorces, Tony's failed relationships, and his own father's divorce from Tim's mother. _'What kind of life can I give him?'_ Tim thought to himself. He then thought of Director Vance, a man in an even more demanding position than Tim, and he seemed to be happily married and even with children. There were hundreds of soldiers and their families that dealt with separation well, but also many who didn't. Many of the cases Tim had worked on involved families that experienced infidelity or marital issues because of their spouse's deployment. Today was a big step in their relationship and he had missed it, even though by accident. How many more times could David cover for him like he did?

He stepped out of the shower and went to brush his teeth. He looked at himself in the mirror as he brushed. _'David's life is stable, and mine is just the opposite. What if we end up just like my parents?'_ He rinsed out then quietly padded his way to the bed. As he quietly slid in, David sensed his presence and instinctively wrapped his arms around him.

David hummed a little and smiled without even opening his eyes. "Mmm, missed you," he whispered and gave Tim a small kiss on the neck.

Tim gave a half-hearted smile and put his hands over David's. "Missed you too," he said quietly.

"Everything go ok?"

"No."

"Aww," David said sleepily and gave Tim a squeeze. "Well it's better now. I've got you."

Tim was silent, his mind still spinning with doubt.

"What is it?" David asked.

"It's nothing, just work," Tim lied.

"Hm?" David gently rolled Tim over to face him and opened his eyes just a little. "I'm not getting the ' _just work'_ vibe this time. What's going on?"

"I just feel really bad about not being here." He had adjusted to seeing in the dark, and could make out a caring look on David's face.

"Baby, it's ok," David said as he placed a comforting hand on Tim's cheek. "It was an accident that she showed up here, and it turned out really well anyway."

"Not just that, but… you know this isn't the last time that work will keep me away. I don't want to keep disappointing you."

"Tim, you can't keep punishing yourself because of your job. I know what I'm signing up for, and I'm still here, aren't I?"

"Yes, you're here and alone."

"Not right now," David said as he took one of Tim's hands.

"But you will be. They all say 'I know what I signed up for' in the beginning."

"Who?"

"All the Navy husbands and wives that I deal with, the girlfriends and boyfriends from all the cases I work on."

"You're worried about me leaving?"

Tim rolled over and away from David. He muffled "Yes" into his pillow.

"What?" David asked as he tried rolling him back over but he resisted.

"Yes!" he repeated louder. "I don't want to ruin your life by making you sit here and wait for me all the time. It's already happening."

David finally managed to roll Tim over to face him again. "Stop it, stop it right now," he said, waving a finger in front of Tim's face. "Tim, you once looked me in the eyes and forgave me for some truly terrible things that I had done, something that I hadn't even done for myself. Since then, I've tried to never to ask for much from you. I will never ask you to be anything less than who you could be just because I didn't get enough time with you during the week. I will always worry about you when you're in danger, and I will always fuss over you when you're hurt. But I would never make you give up a job as important as this just because of me. All I'm asking is that when you're done saving the world, no matter how far away it takes you, you come back to me. If you do that for me, then I'll be here waiting for you with open arms."

Tim's eyes welled and he buried his face in David's chest. David held him close and kissed his head.

"That was really sweet," Tim choked out, "and really rehearsed."

David laughed and smacked his forehead with his hand. "Dammit! I knew you'd have this breakdown someday, so I asked Sarah to help me with it. She had me practice it like five times."

"You didn't!" Tim laughed between shaky breaths.

"I did, but I still meant every word."

"You promise?"

"I promise. I love you, Special Agent Timothy McGee."

"I love you too, Special… baker… something David O'Malley – I'm too tired to come up with something clever right now," Tim laughed as he burrowed tighter into David's embrace. "Just promise me one more thing."

"You name it."

"You are _not_ going to get a Prince Albert piercing like you said in that message."

"Oh HELL no!" David said as he winced. "That was just us messing around. And the whole surrogacy thing was her idea, not mine. I was just having some fun thinking of the look on your face, but she was going for the jugular! Whew, I could never do that." A shiver ran up his spine as he thought about the painful genital piercing.

"Good. I don't want you getting hurt."

"I'm sorry if I took it too far. It's kinda funny, I worry about you when you go out and be brave for your job, but at the same time it really turns me on. I've never felt that combination before."

"Me being an agent turns you on?" Tim's face was dumbstruck as he looked up at David.

"I imagine you in slow motion, dodging bullets while apprehending some notorious supervillain and I get to think, 'he's mine, bitches!'" David said with a grin.

"You make me sound like Superman. It's really nothing like that."

"Maybe not," David replied, "but you're still Superman to me." He slid his hands down Tim's body as he pressed their lips together, gradually letting his tongue invade Tim's mouth.

Tim squeezed David's biceps and gently rolled so David would be over him. He welcomed the invading tongue and ran his hands down to David's legs and pulled them across his own body so David was starting to straddle Tim. Light from outside shone across David's chest as his body towered above Tim's. David reached his hand back and gently ran it down Tim's navel towards his stiffening cock, but then in a swift motion stretched his arms up and gave a large yawn.

"Oh, but I thought you were so tired," he teased through the fake yawn.

Tim gave him an evil smile, then wrapped his hand around David's shaft and squeezed firmly yet not too hard, causing David to gasp. "Don't tease a federal agent by starting something you not going to finish, _civilian_ ," he said authoritatively. "Or do I need to show you my badge?"

David's body responded with erotic chills, perking up his nipples and hardening his erection against Tim's grip. With a naughty smile, David responded, "Yes _sir!_ " and slid down Tim's body. He darted his tongue around the sensitive areas of Tim's groin. Tim ran his hands through David's hair and gripped him softly. David teased light touches up Tim's sides with his hands, and eventually flicked his nipples with the tips of his fingers. He sucked one of Tim's balls into his mouth, giving it a gentle tug. Tim gasped and moaned with the sensations waking up his body. Tim pulled David's face into his cock, letting David's mouth wander and kiss its way around. The softness of David's beard sent tickling sensations up and down his body. David licked his way up Tim's shaft with just the tip of his tongue. Tim increased his grip on David's hair and his thighs tensed. David was teasing him and knew exactly how he liked to be teased. David mouthed Tim's flesh, leaving just enough room for his warm breath to caress its surface.

David smelled the freshly showered skin, and decided to surprise Tim with something new. He gently pushed Tim's legs up, and nibbled his way down underneath Tim's balls and down to Tim's twitching hole.

"What are you doing?" Tim said between breaths.

David kissed around Tim's cheeks, edging and breathing his way closer and closer to the most sensitive spot.

"What-" Tim's words were lost.

David flicked the hole with his tongue.

Tim's body was thrown into a spasm. He gasped sharply, his back arched, his legs clamped around David's head, and his grip on his hair tightened. His mind was being overridden with sensation. Feeling the response and hearing no protest, David continued probing the tightened muscle with his tongue, occasionally nibbling the skin around it.

"OH FUCK!" Tim finally managed to shout in ecstasy. Never releasing David from his vise-grip, he rocked his hips trying to feel more.

David continued to work Tim's hole with his tongue and wrapped a hand around each of their aching shafts. He felt Tim's balls lift, knowing Tim couldn't withstand this much longer. He darted his mouth up to Tim's cock and engulfed the whole thing in his mouth in one motion. He swirled his tongue around it as Tim heaved heavy breaths. David massaged Tim's hole with one hand while he stroked himself with the other. Tim bucked his hips harder against David, almost afraid he would pass out from this feeling.

"David—wait-" Tim tried to warn him, but it was too late. His vision went black as he reached his climax.

David felt Tim's balls tighten harder and took Tim as deep as he could. Tim gave a guttural shout as he experienced one of his most powerful orgasms. David swallowed every drop of Tim's cream as it erupted into his throat, and the sweet and salty taste dripping down his tongue drove him over the edge. David pulled himself up and his body shook as he shot his own load across Tim's body.

After David's orgasm subsided, he began to fall onto Tim but caught himself with one arm. Tim was dazed, but through his blurred vision he saw David's blue eyes shining from the light and reached out to him. Tim placed a hand just under David's jaw and pulled him in for a soft, passionate kiss. David lowered himself slowly onto Tim, but then rolled gently to the side. He pulled Tim into a spooning position, and they both stayed gently cuddling while they regained their breath.

"Where…" Tim struggled to find the words as he came down, "where did that come from?"

David smiled against the back of Tim's neck. "I had been meaning to warm you up to that one, but I keep forgetting." He laughed and nipped at Tim's ear. His eyes kept closing with post-orgasm exhaustion, but he tried to stay awake. "Was it ok?"

"I can't even… put it into words how amazing that was," Tim breathed. He felt David's semen starting to dry on his skin and said, "I'm sticky."

David moaned gently, then said, "Sorry, I think." He rolled over and grabbed a towel he kept folded next to the bed for this very purpose. After making sure they were both dried off, David tossed the towel aside and pulled the covers up over them both. "You feel any better?"

"As long as you're here," Tim said before drifting off to sleep.

"Always," David said, joining him.

NCIS

Tim woke with pins and needles in his foot. He opened one of his eyes and looked down to see Jethro laying over the lump that was Tim's asleep foot. He tried to shake it free, but Jethro didn't budge. He also felt David's arm around his chest keeping him close, and almost preventing him from moving at all. He turned to look at the alarm clock and read 0625, just over an hour from when he would normally get up. He softly groaned and tried to shut his eyes to go back to sleep, but it was too late. Admitting defeat, he tried to get up. David's arm tightened around him and kept him pinned down.

David murmured "Mm-mm" in soft denial.

Tim was tired and cranky, and tried again only to meet the same response. "Baby I'm up, I can't go back to sleep."

"Mm-mm," David repeated again, still with closed eyes. "Mine," he whispered.

Tim was amused, but still knew he had no choice but to actually get up. "I'll make you breakfast if you let me get up."

"Hmm…" David hummed, using whatever brain cells were active to weigh the pros and cons of letting his lover out of bed.

Seeing David's position still unmoved, he then whispered into his ear, "I'll even make you coffee."

"Mmmmm," David hummed in pleasure as a wide smile spread across his sleepy face. His grip on Tim released and his arm slid down limply.

' _So low maintenance,'_ Tim thought to himself, and he climbed out of bed and padded out to the kitchen to start the coffee. Jethro looked at Tim as if he would follow, but then lazily returned to sleep. Tim's coffee maker was set to start with his alarm, but given the early morning they would have he started it manually. He walked back through the bedroom and into the bathroom to relieve himself. As he stood, he looked back at the mirror and remembered the thoughts that buzzed through his head the night before. After flushing and washing his hands, he stood in the doorway and looked at David as he slowly roused himself from his sleep. Remembering David's words, the only thought in Tim's head was now _'Everything will be just fine. He's here.'_


	5. Chapter 5

NCIS

"Okay, grab your toothbrush," Gibbs said as he walked swiftly into the bullpen.

"Road trip?" McGee asked from his desk.

"Los Angeles," Gibbs replied.

Tony leaned back against Ziva's desk and looked at his watch. "Californ-i-ay! What time do we leave?"

"Not we…" Gibbs said. As he looked up, he pointed at McGee.

Tony's eyes widened in surprise and disappointment. "McGee? Not me? _McGoo_ , you?!"

McGee grinned happily at Tony's misfortune.

"Boss, I-" Tony started.

"Joint operation with OSP. Chandler case." Gibbs handed Tony a case file then turned to leave. Stopping at McGee's desk, he said, "Pick up's in 45."

McGee excitedly began getting his gear together. Since the mole hunt, the last two weeks had been a bit of a rollercoaster. David had gone back home but had been too busy preparing for Valentine's Day to come back the following weekend. It turned out to be a good thing since McGee had found himself trapped in a women's prison riot and had gotten maced in the process. He decided not to tell David about that so he wouldn't worry like he usually did. But McGee definitely needed something to lift his spirits, and this trip would do just that.

"OSP?" Ziva asked.

"Office of Special Projects," Tony answered bitterly. "NCIS undercover, surveillance."

"Supercool toys," McGee said with boyish enthusiasm.

"Uh, McGee," Ziva interjected. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

He gave her a confused look.

"Tonight?"

He still wasn't getting it.

"Valentine's Day?"

McGee shook his head. "Nothing going on, David's been too busy to come down and won't be able to until next weekend."

Ziva shrugged, "You finally learned not to schedule things during work." She smiled but she was distracted by her cell phone ringing.

"Well, Tony, I guess the boss knows who's got his back," McGee said cockily as he finished packing."

"Not just his back, _McProbie_ , his ears as well," Tony said with a sly grin masking his jealousy.

"You mean talking with Gibbs? I'm not worried. If he wants to talk, it'll happen."

"For five-and-a-half hours? Small talk with Gibbs? I was going to suggest a couple of topics, but I think I'll just wait to see what stories you bore him with. But seriously, don't mention marriage, divorce or Vance. You probably shouldn't mention David either, or the fact that it's Valentine's Day."

McGee considered his warning, then nodded and headed for the elevator. It just arrived when Ziva quickly joined him.

"Hey," he said, "you leaving too?"

"Yes, I'm… following up on a lead," she hesitantly answered.

McGee eyed her suspiciously, but she changed the subject.

"Have you told David you're going away?"

"No, not yet. He's really busy so I'll call him when he's done work."

"How are things going with you two?"

"They're going ok, he's been busy so I haven't gotten to see him for a few weeks. He's been really great about our schedules being so crazy, though."

"That's good. Not everyone is so accommodating," she said as they got into the elevator.

"Michael giving you trouble? Should I be worried, Z?"

"No, no. Things are actually getting a lot better with him, but our schedules are having trouble getting into the sink."

" _Getting in sync,_ " Tim corrected with a smile. "It's been like that with David, but it gets better. You get used to it, and you work around it. I'm sure you guys will work it out if you're serious about each other."

Ziva smiled. "If you have any time, you should get something out in L.A. for David."

"That's a good idea. I have something in mind, but I've been putting it off…" his voice trailed as he stared off into space.

"What?"

"Nothing," he answered as he snapped out of it.

"That look was not nothing," she said with renewed interest.

"Nothing!" he repeated.

"McGee!"

"If I find it, I'll let you know," he said teasingly as he stepped out onto his floor.

NCIS

McGee had to leave the OSP building in order to call David, but after what he just saw he couldn't contain his excitement. It was getting late in the evening, which meant it was even later for David and McGee wanted to catch him before it was too late.

" _Hey baby, haven't heard from you all day. Work keeping you busy?"_

"Oh it's so much better than that. I've found true love."

" _Oh? At work?"_

"I'm in L.A., and the office here has this wall-sized touchscreen that can do everything! I have to have it."

McGee heard the sound of David's palm impacting on his forehead. _"First off, L.A.? Second, how much does it cost?"_

"Yeah it was a last-minute thing for a case. But I don't care how much this screen costs, it's so pretty," McGee said in a dreamy voice.

David laughed on the other end. _"Well you're a bit late, Daddy Warbucks and I broke up around the mid 1930's, so you'll be affording that one on your own."_

"The new book is selling well, I probably have enough."

" _Ok, whose dumb idea was it to take you there?"_

"Gibbs'."

" _Are we allowed to head-smack him?"_

McGee smiled, loving David's spunk. "I'm not, but you're a civilian so you might just be able to pull it off. You'll go to jail forever, but you might get him."

David laughed again. _"Well either way, you're adorable when you get geeky. Just promise you won't sell any organs or take out a mortgage to get this thing, ok?"_

"Fine," McGee gave a mock-offended sigh. Turning to a more serious tone he said, "Miss you. It's good to hear your laugh again."

" _Miss you too. When do you think you'll be back?"_

"Not sure. Couple of days?"

" _In time for the weekend?"_

"No idea, depends on what turns up here, but I'll call you when I can."

" _Ok. Come home soon."_

McGee heard a bit of the disappointed sigh again in David's voice. It had been a rough couple of weeks. "I found something for you while I was out here. It's a _Star Wars_ keychain with the words 'Rebel Scum' engraved on it.

" _Yeeeaaah! I love it! Thanks baby."_

"I've gotta get back, but I just wanted to call and say I love you."

" _I love you too. Bye."_

McGee hung up the phone. He had a quick thought about something he wanted to get David, and used a few more minutes of his break to look up a store he saw while Gibbs drove them to OSP.

NCIS

Tony was beyond pissed. Yesterday, Ziva had disappeared just after both Gibbs and McGee left and she never came back. He was stuck hopping from desk-to-desk taking phone calls, and she didn't even call back to say she wasn't coming back. If she had at least called, he'd know what to expect. Instead she gave a squirrely lie about following up on a lead, which Tony saw right through. Then today she reveals that the man she's been constantly talking to is a Mossad agent, Michael Rivkin, who's now involved in Gibbs' and McGee's investigation. Now she said she went home, and Abby just told him that Michael is staying in DC for the night which could only lead to one thing. He was tired of being lied to and kept in the dark.

He drove to his favorite bar once his shift was over just to take the edge off of a shitty couple of days. As he parked on the street, he pulled up behind a familiar-looking red Mustang. He rarely remembered license plates, but he remembered these Pennsylvania plates because he had driven this car for just over a month. This was David's Mustang, yet McGee told them that David wouldn't be down because he was working.

He was already feeling angry over Ziva, and he didn't need this right now. He walked into the bar and ordered a scotch. He wasn't looking for David when he went inside, but as he casually looked around he saw him sitting at a table against the wall with another guy having what looked like a very interesting conversation. The other man was a little older, mid-40's, dark hair with flecks of gray, slim, wearing an expensive suit, and no wedding band. Tony slid down the bar to just be within earshot of them but kept his back mostly to them. The bartender found him again and brought him his scotch. As Tony took a sip, he saw a reflection of the waitress bringing over the check to David's table, and the man picking it up. He and David were both smiling. Tony's frown intensified.

"Aw, thanks," he heard David say.

"Least I could do," the other man said. "You came all this way for me. You going home tonight? That's a long ride."

"Yeah, got a lot to do. I got most of my business work done, but now I have some work to do around the house."

"Are you going to tell your boyfriend about this?"

Tony's ears perked at the sound of the question.

"Not yet," David said. "He's away, but I will when the time is right."

Tony's mind raced, and his already boiling temper reached its peak. First Ziva went behind his back, now David was cheating on McGee. He dropped down from his stool and walked over to David's table.

"Tell him what, David?" he said as he stood next to the table on David's side.

"Tony!" David said in surprise and quickly stood up. "Hey!"

"What are you gonna tell McGee? Hmm? That you're sneaking around behind his back? Letting guys with more money buy you drinks while your partner is working?!" Tony's fists were clenched.

David's face dropped to a horrified look. "No Tony, it's not like-"

Tony interrupted him with a punch right across David's face. David fell back against the table sending utensils and dishes clamoring to the floor, but he was still up.

"What the hell is your problem?!" the other man yelled, but Tony ignored him.

"Dammit, Tony! It's not like that!" David shouted, feeling his jaw.

Tony aimed another punch into David's stomach, doubling him over on his feet.

"Fuck off, David! Just get out of here and don't come back!" Tony spat as he turned to leave.

Tony was grabbed by his left arm and pulled backward. In the split second that Tony looked back, he saw David's speeding fist heading up to his face. He was forcefully reminded how much stronger David's arm was just before he blacked out on impact.

NCIS

The cold sensation felt good against Tony's aching left cheek as he slowly came to. Everything throbbed, not just his head. He blindly felt around, and based on the feel of the fabric and the resistance of the mattress he seemed to be in his own twin bed in his apartment. Through his closed eyelids he could tell the overhead light was on, and he heard a soft slurp come from somewhere in the room. He inched his eyes open, and without moving was able to see his gun on the left nightstand. He lunged for the gun with his left hand and aimed towards his bedroom door where he saw David leaning in the doorway sipping coffee. David didn't even flinch, much less even look at Tony when he pulled the full magazine and chamber round out from his pocket and displayed them mid-sip.

"This is so not my first rodeo, DiNozzo," he said calmly, then tossed them onto a nearby chair.

Tony then realized just how much lighter his gun was than usual, confirming that what he just saw wasn't a ploy. He gently placed the gun back on the nightstand, and slowly sat up as he tried to assess is his situation. He noticed that his suit jacket and his shoes were off, though his shirt and pants were left untouched. He felt his face and realized the cold compress on his cheek was taped in place instead of just left to sit there. David had actually taken care of Tony while he was under. David's face showed early signs of a mild bruise, and Tony's memories started to flood back to him. It was nearly 2230, which meant he had been out for about an hour and a half. David didn't seem to be upset, but despite his casual exterior he was keeping his distance.

"I see you made yourself to home in my kitchen," Tony said bitterly, feeling worse than hungover.

"I figured you owed me," David replied nonchalantly.

" _Owed_ you? I caught you having an affair and I _owed_ you?" Tony asked in disgust.

"I'm not having an affair, asshat. That guy was my buyer and you almost scared him off. I had to explain everything to the entire bar since they were all staring."

"Your buyer?"

"Yeah. I was selling him the Mustang." David shook his head and took another sip.

A sinking feeling started to develop in Tony's already woozy stomach. "That guy was buying your car… that's why it was parked outside. But why were you here at all when you told McGee that you were busy with work?"

"I _was_ busy working - busy working my ass off to sell the car and get packed up so I can move in with him. I may have skipped a bit on the details I gave to him, but it was for a surprise."

"You didn't tell McGee you're moving in with him?" Tony asked in bewilderment.

"I was planning on surprising him with it this weekend if things worked out. We had already talked about moving in a while ago, and I wanted to tell him I'm ready now."

"But that guy bought you dinner and you were both smiling at each other," Tony said with less and less conviction.

"Damn right he smiled and bought me dinner! I drove over two hours after a long day, and would've had to take a train and a taxi home just so he'd get his baby hand-delivered in time for the weekend! And let's see how quickly you stop smiling after someone hands you a $60,000 cashier's check. You might've found all of this out if you'd have let me explain before sucker-punching me _twice_."

Tony moaned painfully at the physical and emotional feelings setting in. "Which makes me…"

"Yup."

"An asshat?" Tony asked.

"Yup," David repeated.

"Who even says that?"

David rolled his eyes. "'Dumbass' was getting overused at the bakery. Needed to throw in something new and it's caught on."

Tony sighed. "Look, I'm-"

"Don't apologize," David interrupted. "It's a sign of weakness. Thank Ziva for teaching me that a few months ago." David noticed Tony winced a little at the mention of Ziva's name. "I ignore that one a lot with Tim but I've been dying to say it to someone else who'll get it. But seriously, I think you've got something on your mind." David approached the bed and sat at the foot of it, giving Tony his space but being close enough to talk seriously.

"No, I'm fine. Just had a _Very_ _Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo_ moment."

"Come on, Tony. I find it hard to believe that after years of picking on Tim, which I do _not_ appreciate by the way, you all of a sudden are ready to charge up to someone and punch them because of less than half of an overheard conversation about him."

"McGoo is like my little brother. I gotta pick on him but I always look out for him. I guess I thought that's what I was doing."

"I guess I can understand that. I promise, Tony, I'd never cheat on him."

Tony nodded silently.

"What about Ziva?" David noted the flare in Tony's eyes as he mentioned the name again.

"What about her?"

"How do you feel about Ziva?"

"Fine," Tony lied. He gritted his teeth.

"You seemed pretty emphatic about her when I dragged you in here. Kept saying 'Ziv' over and over."

"Bullshit."

"Hey, I was the one conscious."

"It's none of your business," Tony said, getting visibly frustrated.

"Maybe it wasn't, but you certainly shoved it in my face," David said as he felt his slightly sore jaw.

"Look, I'm sorry but just drop it, ok? And cut the smooth guy crap. Just because you slugged me out in a bar and you're dating McGee doesn't mean you know me, _Orion_ ," Tony said with contempt, trying to remind David of his own secretive past.

"Ok, ok." David lightly raised his hands as he stood up and left the bedroom. When he reached the kitchen, he smiled to himself. He didn't get interrogated by Gibbs twice just to walk out not knowing how to drive a good bluff. Tony never said a word while he was unconscious, but he still confirmed David's suspicions about the real reason why Tony attacked him. He would never have pushed as hard on a sensitive topic in regular conversation, but David felt that two punches earned him at least some social leeway.

Tony slowly stood up and looked at his face in the mirror. Pulling aside the cold compress, he saw the deep purple bruise on the left side his face. The skin hadn't been broken, but David's right jab was something Tony never wanted to experience again. Still, David had taken enough care to drive him home, get him into bed, and even get him a compress. Most people would've just let him be the bar's problem. As nosey as David may be at the moment, he was at least kind. Tony walked out to the living room and was greeted again by David, who held out a glass of water and some pain medication.

"Thanks," Tony said as he took them. Tony sat down on the couch and David leaned against the wall across from him next to the TV. "And thanks for bringing me back here and not leaving me stuck at the bar."

"I kinda felt bad. I didn't expect you to go down in one shot, just wanted to take you down a notch so you'd stop and listen," David said with a slightly satisfied smile.

"Huh," Tony grunted.

"Look, um," David started, "you don't have to tell me anything, but you've told me enough that I'm concerned. I know you haven't really known me or spent a lot of time with me over the last few months, but obviously something's eating at you and… well, if you really see Tim as a brother then hopefully you'll know that you can talk to me - even if it's something you can't talk to the team about. I know having an outside vent helped Tim out when he needed it."

"I appreciate that, but I think it's a bit beyond anything that talking could fix."

"Even talking to her?"

Tony narrowed his eyes. David either knew too much or guessed too much, but at least his offer seemed sincere enough. "Especially to her," he admitted.

David nodded his head and said nothing further on the subject.

Tony stared at the floor, not quite sure what to say next. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he finally said, "So with the car sold, how are you getting home?"

"Well I was going to get a ride to the train station, but the last train left just after 10 and there won't be another until 3, so I'm probably going to go to Tim's and stay there tonight."

"But he'll be back tonight, and if you're there without a car it'll ruin the surprise."

"Yeah. I guess I could find a hotel, too."

"Do you love him? I mean really love him?"

"Of course I do. Always have."

"I'll drive you home then."

"Two hours each way? You won't get back until 3. I'll be fine, Tony."

"Well, as you said, I owe you for being an _asshat_ ," the word was starting to work for Tony, "and if you've already gone through the all effort, you should get to give him the surprise. Just don't tell him I hit you?"

"As long as you don't tell them I hit you back. Let's get you some coffee first, I'd like to make it back in one piece."


	6. Chapter 6

NCIS

"Abby, I've gotta take a break," McGee exhaustedly said as he sat back in his chair. He massaged his eyes and tired fingers that had been working nonstop.

"McGee you can't take a break! Gibbs needs us to fix this laptop so we can help Tony and Ziva!" she yelled, bouncing unsteadily up and down.

"We've been working for almost twelve hours straight," he protested.

"And we only have twelve more hours to meet our deadline. Come on, focus!"

"Just let me call David, I haven't even had a chance to talk to him since this morning."

"Come on, you're not gonna die if you don't hear from him."

"Abs, don't patronize me. I haven't gotten to see him in almost a month because he had to cancel last weekend for work." McGee felt tired in no mood to deal with Abby. He was already mad enough at his work for keeping him and David apart.

"You're seeing him this weekend, McGee. You'll be fine."

"Just give me a few minutes, ok?"

"Ok, but then we focus!" Abby had been getting slowly crankier and crankier as her _'Caf-POW!'_ supply dwindled.

McGee walked out of the lab near the elevator to have some privacy, then called David.

" _Hey baby, missed hearing from you today. Work been busy?"_

"Terrible. I've been on overdrive since this morning. Something's happened, something bad, and I'm going to be pulling an all-nighter with Abby." McGee decided not to go into detail about Tony shooting Ziva's boyfriend, Mossad Agent Michael Rivkin, or about her apartment exploding.

" _Holy shit. How bad? Should I be worried?"_

"No, not like that, but… it's just bad, I can't really explain why. Most of the team is in Israel dealing with things but Abby and I are trying to put together a busted laptop."

" _I understand. Well listen, I'm finally finished everything I needed to do and I was thinking of coming down tomorrow night. Do you want me to come by tonight instead and bring you some coffee or something?"_

McGee lit up at the prospect of getting to see David earlier than expected, but there wasn't much David could do to help them on an active case. At the very least, bringing Abby some _'Caf-POW!'_ would keep her from pouncing on McGee, and seeing David was usually good for McGee's morale. "You'd really come tonight? It's really late."

" _I'm up, you'll be up, it's no big deal. Plus I've missed you a lot. Are you going to say no?"_

"Not a chance. Get those pretty blue eyes down here. I'll alert the front desk so they'll give you a visitor's pass. You may want to bring a pillow or some music or something with you. It's going to be a while and we probably won't be all that chatty."

" _Ok. Coffee for you and 'Caf-POW!' for Abby?"_

"You are an angel."

" _See you in a few hours, babe! Love you."_

"Love you too."

McGee walked back into the lab, suddenly feeling awake and refreshed just knowing David was on his way.

"That was quick," Abby commented.

"But productive," McGee said with a smile. "David's on his way down."

Abby looked at him with surprise. "Really? He knows you're going to be here all night, right?"

"Yup, and so will he."

"That's kinda dumb, why would he want to be down here?"

"Moral support, coffee support, _'Caf-POW!'_ support," he said enticingly.

"Oh that's brilliant! He's willing to be our errand boy!"

"Don't you dare try to use him to get anything other than the appropriate amount of food and drink, Abby," McGee warned.

"You're no fun at all. Focus!" she repeated and pointed at the fragmented remains of a seriously charred hard drive.

About three hours later, McGee was called to retrieve David from the front desk. Before Abby could protest, McGee bounded for the stairs and made his way up. He finally saw David, standing at the front just pinning his visitor's badge to his belt loop. He had his backpack, a cup holder filled with 4 large coffee cups, and a small keg of _'Caf-POW!'_ that he had set down on the security desk. When he saw McGee, he held out both of his arms and McGee broke into a half-run to reach him. He nearly tackled him, but David kept them both steady and wrapped McGee into a bear-hug despite McGee's slight height advantage. David resisted the urge to kiss McGee until they were in private, especially since they were already getting looks from the desk attendant.

"Oh I've missed you," McGee whispered, feeling like a teenager.

"Missed you too," David softly replied.

"Come on, let's get to Abby's lab," McGee said as he grabbed the drinks and steered them towards the elevator.

No sooner did the doors finished closing than Tim flicked the emergency switch, set down the coffee on the floor, and planted a kiss on David's lips so hard that they both crashed into the corner of the elevator. David cupped the back of Tim's head and wrapped his arm around Tim's back to pull him even closer. Tim's hands ran across David's hair and face, making their way down his arms and torso, wanting to touch every inch of the man he'd been missing.

David tried to talk between kisses, "I think… we can… only do this… for another minute…"

"Let 'em wait… I've missed you," Tim said defiantly.

David held Tim in place for a long kiss and let his fingers slowly slide down Tim's right cheek. Like a charm, Tim melted from the touch and slowly came down from his euphoria. "Love you," David whispered.

"Love you too," Tim said from his daze.

"Come on, Abby's waiting," David insisted.

Tim gave him one last kiss, then turned to start the elevator again. He shook the rest of his excess energy off, and picked up the coffee in time for the elevator to open. Abby stood at the entrance with narrow, knowing eyes. She looked from David's ruffled hair to McGee's freshly-kissed lips, then she landed on the prize – the mini-keg. She squealed in excitement, instantly and wordlessly forgiving the two for their stolen moment, then she snatched the _'Caf-POW!',_ gave David a quick kiss on the cheek, and darted back into her lab.

"Good to see you too, Abby," David said, somewhat stunned.

NCIS

Over the course of the next day, David left the lab twice for more coffee, once just to stretch his legs, and once to go back to McGee's apartment to make them fresh food instead of making them eat take-out again. After a few phone calls to Gibbs, they were finally done dissecting the laptop for information. David, not used to pulling two or more days in a row without sleep, took a nap once the team's plane took off from Israel. A few hours later, McGee walked into the back of Abby's lab where David was stretched out over one of the lab tables, and gently woke him.

"Hey," David said groggily.

"Hey, their plane just landed, and they'll be here soon." McGee took David's hand and helped him sit up, but continued to hold it afterward. "Thanks for coming and helping us. I know you were probably bored to death."

"No, it was nice getting to look after you guys. I can tell you're just about ready to crash, too, so I'll drive you home."

"I'm ok. Caffeine won't wear off for another hour, _then_ I can crash with you at home," McGee smiled. "Come on, let's head upstairs."

McGee and David were joined by Jimmy Palmer, who sat at Tony's desk reading one of his magazines. David sat on McGee's desk, swinging his legs to the music that he was sharing with McGee through a split set of earbuds, while McGee finished his report.

Abby slurped the last of her _'Caf-POW'_ and walked frantically into the bullpen. "Are they here yet?!"

McGee rolled his eyes and said, "Abs, I told you, I'll call you as soon as they show up." Turning to David and whispered, "Whenever anyone goes anywhere she turns into a puppy."

"That's too late, McGee," Abby said. "It's not an official 'Welcome Back.' I mean, if I'm here and they walk in, I get to say, 'Yay, welcome back!' If they're already here and I come in like Miss Tardy-to-the-Party, then technically it's like them welcoming me back. Tell him, Palmer!"

Jimmy looked up from his magazine, not having paid any attention to Abby's rambling. "Uh, she… uh," he looked from Abby to David, who mouthed 'Agree' over to him, and he finally muttered out, "She makes a good point." He mouthed 'Thank you' back to David.

"I saw that, Palmer!" Abby said as she sat as Ziva's desk. "Their flight's arrived, where are they?"

"Behind you," Tony said, emerging from the elevator.

"Yay! Welcome back!" Abby exclaimed exactly as she had demonstrated earlier. She hugged Tony, who groaned from his injuries.

David looked at Tony and saw a familiar pained look on his face that he remembered seeing a couple of weeks ago, but it had nothing to do with his physical injuries. He looked over at McGee, who didn't seem concerned. McGee walked over to Tony's desk where Palmer had just evacuated to let Tony sit.

"So, Ziva's getting her stuff or…?" McGee tentatively asked.

"No," Tony said flatly, avoiding their gaze.

"She parking her car?" Abby asked excitedly.

"No," Tony repeated.

"Well, what is she doing?" McGee said with mild frustration at Tony's lack of cooperation.

"Well, considering the time difference, probably eating breakfast."

"She's still in Tel Aviv?" Palmer asked.

"Yep."

David stayed back, giving Tony space since the other three were crowding his desk. He knew something was wrong, and it was going to be catastrophic.

"Well, when is she coming back?" McGee asked.

"She's not," Tony answered.

The shock rendered its effect on the other team members, but Abby was the first to speak.

"No! This cannot happen! Vance cannot do this again!"

"Wasn't Vance's call." Tony glanced over at David, and something in his eyes confirmed David's suspicions.

"Guys," David interrupted, "Let's give Tony some space. He just had a long flight, and obviously things didn't go well."

Palmer, Abby, and McGee were still stunned, but looked over at David who hopped down from McGee's desk and stepped between them and Tony's desk.

"But-" Abby tried to say before David interrupted her.

"No. Let's all go home, and it'll get sorted out later," David ordered.

The other three were too stunned to disagree further, so they slowly turned and walked away, each trying to process what Tony had just told them.

"Thank you," Tony whispered.

David nodded, went to McGee's desk and grabbed his backpack, then walked with McGee to the elevator.

NCIS

They were silent walking to their cars, and even after the drive when they walked into the apartment Tim still hadn't said a word. Jethro bounded up to them both, but they walked past him and sat down on the couch, still not sure what to say.

David studied Tim, seeing his mind buzzing so hard he couldn't process anything else. He slid Tim's suit jacket off, untucked and unbuttoned his shirt, helped slide off Tim's shoes and set them aside, then sat right up against Tim and let him collapse into his embrace. Tim's breath became harder as his mind finally put his thoughts in the right order.

"She's gone… again," Tim managed to say into the fabric of David's shirt.

David squeezed him harder. He ran his fingers through Tim's hair, and then around to his cheeks to gently stroke them.

"Things were finally back to normal," Tim continued, "and she left again."

"I know, baby."

"She's my sister… and she's gone again."

"Not forever, and it's not like you'll never be able to talk with her again. She's just in Israel. It'll be ok, just give it time."

Tim sighed with defeat.

"Come on," David said, standing them up. "Let's get you into bed."

As David walked them into the bedroom, Tim noticed a cardboard box in the corner with a green folder laying on it. David steered him towards the dresser, but Tim looked back at the box.

"What's that?"

"Nothing, it can wait," David said, sitting them on the bed.

"No, just tell me."

"It's ok, I'll show you in the morning."

"No, please. Now. I can't handle anything else hanging over my head," Tim insisted with a sniff.

"I was going to wait until you were in a bit better of a mood, but I guess if it'll cheer you up…" David looked over at the box, slightly concerned about the timing of his news.

"Please," Tim exhaustedly pleaded.

"Ok." David got up and retrieved the folder, then sat next to Tim and handed it to him. "Open it."

Tim looked puzzled, but then opened the folder. On the left side, there was a large stack of papers and photos clipped together. The front page showed a realtor's logo, and a picture of the front of David's condo. The page listed the address, details about the building, a price, and a description of the property. Behind it were professional photos of the interior and exterior, almost exactly as Tim had remembered it, minus a few decorations here or there. Tim gasped as he processed what this was meant, and looked at David with wide eyes.

David smiled at him. "I'm sorry I've been so busy lately. I had a lot to do and not much time to do it if I wanted to get the house on the market. I wanted to surprise you, and… tell you that I'm ready."

Tim's eyes welled again, "To move in?"

"To move in," David said, placing a hand on Tim's cheek.

Tim lunged at David and held him tighter than he'd ever held anything before. He choked out a relieving laugh, and buried his face into the crook of David's neck. "You've been doing this all this time?" Tim asked, slightly muffled by David's skin.

"And a little more. Check the other side."

Tim struggled with the idea of releasing David, but eventually his curiosity won out. Looking at the other side of the folder, there were several property listings for houses and apartments in the Silver Spring area.

"You should've told me," Tim said after another choked laugh. "I would've helped you. How long were you planning this?"

"I made up my mind that night you had that breakdown being worried about me leaving, actually. I wanted to surprise you for Valentine's Day, but there was no way I would get everything done in time. While you were working with Abby I was looking up property listings. I also sold the Mustang a couple of weeks ago so if we decide on a house, the money can go towards the down payment."

"You sold the Mustang just so you could move down with me?"

"Well, not _just_ that. It was getting expensive keeping two cars. I wanted to sell it before I put too many miles on it, anyway. But I wanted to do it sooner rather than later so it could help us out."

"What about your bakery?"

"What about it?"

"How are you going to keep it?"

"Well, that's going to take a bit. I talked with the other managers, and they're considering pooling together to buy me out. Then I can start again somewhere closer. We'll be able to be together, no more going back and forth, no more leaving Monday morning."

Tim pulled David back into a tight hug. "You're doing all of this… for me?"

"For us. I'm getting something out of this, too."

"What?" Tim asked, looking into David's eyes.

"You," David said, and kissed Tim softly.

Tim breathed easier now, his heart pounding with excitement. He suddenly remembered the box, and turned back to look at it. "What's that, then?"

"Oh, just clothes. I'm going to be mostly out of the house so the realtor can start showing it off once everything's done being inspected."

Tim leapt over to his dresser, and immediately cleared out one of the drawers. He then headed over to the box and began to open it.

David looked at him curiously and said, "We don't have to do that now, you've had a long couple of days."

"I want to. After everything that's happened, this is the best thing I could possibly ask for. I want to sleep tonight knowing for sure that you're gonna be here in the morning, and the next morning, and the next." Tim said with a bright smile.

David helped him put away some of the clothes and organize them with Tim's other clothes in the dresser. When they were finally done, Tim took David's hands in his.

"I've been waiting to say this for a long time," Tim said, looking straight into David's loving eyes. "Welcome home, David."

"It's good to be home, Timmy," David said, and brought Tim in for a long, slow kiss.


	7. Chapter 7

NCIS

Tim watched evening sun reflect off of David's eyes as they looked deeply back at Tim's. The air was warm around him but the wet sand beneath his bare feet was cold. His breath was shallow and nervous but he was more excited than he had ever felt in his life. The cold Atlantic washed up over his feet getting the hem of his suit pants wet, but he didn't care. He saw David's lips move, but could barely hear him over the sound of his own pounding heart.

"…richer…poorer,"

The air around them smelled and tasted of salt, and the sounds of seagulls echoed across the beach. David's hands were warm, but the metal Tim suddenly felt on his finger was quite cool. David's voice slowly got clearer.

"…in sickness and in health,"

David's eyes never left Tim's. His voice was the most beautiful thing Tim had ever heard. A soft wind grazed their intertwining hands.

"…to love and to cherish,"

Their audience began to clap and cheer loudly. David kept speaking but Tim' couldn't hear him anymore. Tim started to feel clammy.

' _Stop, he's not done yet!'_ Tim tried to say as he looked at them, but he couldn't hear himself. The crowd was too loud. There was something wrong with their voices. They weren't real, they were just noise. He turned back to David, but David wasn't there, just the sun shining brightly right into Tim's eyes.

He shut them and turned away, then opened them again to see the ceiling of his bedroom. The sun shone through the open window, his undershirt felt damp with sweat, and his alarm was blaring. Heaving a sigh at the interruption of the dream, he reached over to turn off his alarm and sat at the edge of the bed. He first thought he wanted to marry David when they spent their first Christmas together, but he knew he needed to give it more time. He had been having wedding dreams since he saw a ring he liked in a shop in L.A. while he was on assignment. He almost bought the ring right then and there, but he had no idea what David's size was. The wedding dreams often varied from night to night. The first time, Gibbs officiated the ceremony in the bullpen at NCIS, but Vance interrupted with a case. Another time, they were alone in the stopped elevator, but then it started again and filled with people. One of the nightmares he had was that they were on a rooftop and David was shot through the forehead by a sniper, just like Kate had been all those years ago.

Most of the time when Tim had any bad dreams, David was there next to him when he woke up. Tim would snuggle up to him and smile, and he'd feel just fine. But there were also those mornings like this one for the last month where he wasn't there, and they always left Tim feeling sad and empty.

Tim let himself fall back on the bed, but instead of hitting the mattress he hit something much harder hidden underneath the blankets.

"Mmph… go bagh… sleep," someone said from under the blankets. The voice was gruff, sleepy, and heartwarmingly familiar.

Tim lurched upward, and he saw the David-sized lump under the blankets softly rise and fall with the sound of the other man's breathing. Tim looked around the room until his eyes found the folder on the nightstand and the empty cardboard box in the corner, confirming that the events of last night were not part of his dream. David was here now. David _lived_ here now. In absolute joy, Tim practically dove onto David who sleepily protested the disruption to his slumber.

"Fimmore mins…" he whined as he tried to pull the blankets over his head to avoid the sunlight and shield himself from the harsh contact.

Tim was too excited to go back to sleep. His heart was full again and he felt rejuvenated at David's presence and its newfound permanence. Jethro had heard the commotion and jumped up on the bed in hopes of getting some attention of his own. Tim slipped under the covers and reached his arms around David. He inhaled the man's scent, and brushed his face over the skin of David's upper back. This time, David enjoyed the contact and emitted a soft hum of approval.

Tim smiled, then after planting a soft kiss on David's neck he slid gently out of bed and padded into the kitchen to start breakfast. Halfway through frying the bacon, he heard the shifting of the bed and turned to see David drifting in a zombie-like motion towards the kitchen. His hair was disheveled and his eyes were barely opened, but he guided himself towards one of the kitchen stools and sat down.

"Good morning," Tim said with a smile.

David gave a brief grunt, which Tim recognized as David's morning dialect for "Coffee."

Tim poured a mug of coffee, added the usual splash of cream, and waved it under David's nose before setting it down. David slowly groaned in pleasure and a smile lazily stretched across his face. Tim turned back and started the eggs while David slowly drank himself to consciousness.

After a few minutes, David finally spoke slowly in English, "Good morning, baby."

"There he is. How'd you sleep?"

"I was fine until the love of my life decided to try out for a football team in bed. How are you even conscious? You worked for almost two days straight."

"It's just my body's clock. I'll be tired as hell again tonight, but we'll get to sleep in tomorrow morning. And I'm sorry if I was a little too excited, it's been a long month without you here."

David blushed a little. "I missed you too."

After he sat down with the servings of breakfast, their hands instinctively enclosed around each other while they ate. Tim forgot how much he missed even this simple touch.

"So what'll you be up to while I'm at work?" Tim asked.

"Well, I left my guitar in the car, so I need to bring that up. Then I was thinking of heading back up to the house and packing up a few more things. I'm leaving a lot there just for display during showings, but I want to bring down some more clothes and some of my other valuables."

"Like what?"

"My autographed Harry Potter First Edition collection for one-"

"No way!" Tim interrupted. "Autographed by…?"

"The wonderful J.K. herself."

" _HOW?_ " Tim's jaw was stuck open.

"I may have sacrificed a virgin at Stonehenge, but if anyone asks I just paid a lot and waited in line for a while," David smirked as he quickly returned to his breakfast.

Tim eyed him suspiciously. "Sacrificed a virgin, or your virginity?" he said with a chuckle.

"I was kidding!" David said as he gently knocked his shoulder against Tim's. "Besides, I had already traded my virginity to get Billy Joel tickets for New Year's Eve '99. And that I'm actually _not_ kidding about."

"Billy… Joel… tickets?" Tim said in disbelief.

"Millennium Concert in New York. Worth it, hands down." David stared into space with a content smile on his face as he reminisced. "I have them framed and will be grabbing them too. Don't look at me like that, Mr. I'll-Just-Buy-This-Wall-Sized-Touchscreen!" David jabbed when he saw Tim's judging face. "You really gonna tell me you never went a little overboard for something you really wanted?"

"Give me some credit, I didn't buy that! But yes, I do have a collection of computers that I've had over the ages. It's like a timeline of accomplishment and innovation. And I may have moved to a bigger apartment just to have more storage space for them and my old consoles that I've held onto, but you never know…" Tim sheepishly admitted.

"See? Not so terrible. But yeah, I don't want to risk stuff being stolen while I'm not there for a while." David finished his breakfast, then linked his arm around Tim's and rested his head on Tim's shoulder. Tim leaned his head into the cuddle.

"Maybe I'll call into work and tell Gibbs I need the day off," Tim said softly. "I could use it anyway, plus I'd get to spend the whole day with you." Truthfully, he liked the idea of spending the day with David, but mainly he had just remembered that Ziva wouldn't be there when he got in and he wasn't sure if he was ready to face the empty desk yet. His grip tightened on David.

"I'd love that," David looked up and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. He could tell Tim's mood was starting to shift and didn't need to ask why.

"I'll go call him now," Tim said. He grabbed his phone and headed into the bedroom.

" _Yeah?"_ Gibbs answered.

"Boss, I'm going to take today off. It was a long couple of days, and…" He wanted to list Ziva's absence as a reason, but he didn't want to actually admit her absence was something real yet.

" _Probably for the best. Tell Tony to take the day off, too. I'll let Vance know."_

"Will do. Thanks, Gibbs."

He then dialed Tony.

" _Hey McGee,"_ Tony said.

Tim thought to himself, _'No snarky greeting or McNickname. He's probably feeling the same way I am now.'_ "Hey Tony, Gibbs gave us the OK to take the day off. I think we both need it."

" _Good. Thanks."_ He was short and abrupt, very unlike the usual Tony DiNozzo. Yet it fit the situation.

"See you," Tim said, then hung up.

He walked back to where David was sitting, then embraced him from behind and kissed him on top of his head. David gently swayed in his embrace and put his hands over Tim's.

"How're you doing?" David asked him quietly.

"I don't know. It's hitting me again."

David turned and gave Tim a proper hug. Tim's eyes felt puffy again, but he didn't cry. He knew Ziva wouldn't want him to.

"Did Gibbs give you the day off?" David asked

Tim nodded into David's shoulder.

"Good. You're coming with me then."

They stayed still for a few more minutes, then Tim whispered, "Thank you for being here."

David nuzzled him a little, then whispered back, "Always."

NCIS

David insisted on taking the Mini top-down because it was sunny, despite the fact that it was only 49°F. His argument was that it had been too cold for him to do it for months, and he missed it. Also the feel of the sun and the air would do them both good, and his car had seat warmers to help balance the temperature. Tim had forgotten what it felt like to be in the front left seat as a passenger, but he enjoyed being with David and having unrestricted time with him. David gave him a kiss on the cheek, and Tim smiled. He stopped thinking about the rest of the world and focused on just them in their element together.

The drive to David's condo went smoothly after they got out of rush-hour traffic. As they entered Tim saw the "For Sale" sign for the first time. He noticed that the place looked impeccably clean. The couch didn't even have a single strand of Jethro's hair on it, which Tim thought to be impossible.

While David was upstairs packing, Tim's phone started vibrating in his pocket. He didn't recognize the number, but if it was work-related he didn't want to risk missing it.

"Hello?"

" _Hello Timothy,"_ a man's deep voice came through the phone. The voice tensed every muscle in Tim's body. It was the voice of Admiral John McGee, Tim's estranged father.

"Dad," Tim said with indifference. He hadn't spoken to his father in four years, and hadn't intended to break that streak. "What is it?"

Another call buzzed on his phone. It was his sister, Sarah.

" _Good to hear from you too,"_ John said sarcastically. _"I want to meet you in DC tonight. There's something we should talk about."_

"Really? Only took, what, thirty years?" Tim said bitterly. "What could it possibly be?"

" _Don't get smart with me, boy. This isn't a request. Meet me at Charlie Palmer at 1900."_

Sarah buzzed his phone again.

"Look, I'm busy, so just tell me whatever it is and we can get it over with."

" _No, I'm not letting you hide behind technology like MIT taught you. Don't keep me waiting."_ He disconnected the call.

Tim had missed Sarah, but shaking his head he called her back.

" _TIM! Oh god, someone's outed you!"_ she sounded hysterical.

"Woah, woah, Sarah calm down! What's going on?"

David came down the stairs with a box under each arm. After he saw the concerned look on Tim's face he sat them down next to the stairs and stood facing him.

" _It's Dad…"_ she was sobbing, and choked out each small string of words. _"I think - I think he's figured it out."_

"Sarah- Sarah, slow down!" Tim's eyes showed alarm at his sister's rambling. "Dad just called me. He basically ordered me down to meet him for dinner but wouldn't say why. What's going on?"

" _He called me and asked about you. He said he had a rumor that you were gay and seeing a man. I swear, I told him 'no' a thousand times, but he wouldn't believe me. He started swearing and he hung up."_

Horror crept over Tim's face. His father knew, and he was going to try to do something about it. David had seen that kind of horror before, and he heard enough of what Sarah had said to have his own matching look.

"Oh, crap," Tim muttered. His brain tried to make sense of things and come up with a plan.

" _I'm so worried, Tim, he's really pissed."_

"No, Sarah, it's ok. This had to happen eventually. David just moved in with me last night, and it was going to be public anyway. I'd be surprised if he didn't find out."

Sarah sniffed on the other line. _"Really? He did?"_

"Yeah," Tim said. He still looked concerned and he reached his hand out to David, who instantly appeared at his side and squeezed his hand in support. "I was planning on telling Penny sometime this weekend, and I figured she'd accidentally let it slip. I just thought we had more time."

" _I'm really sorry, Tim. If there's anything I can do, just let me know."_

"It's not your fault. It'll be ok." He phrased it as a statement to Sarah, but when he looked at David his eyes asked it as a question instead.

David squeezed Tim's hand and arm, and nodded his head. "I've got you," he said quietly.

" _Ok… Call me when it's done. I want to make sure everything's fine. David has my number, make sure he knows to call me if something's wrong, ok? Whatever Dad says, I'm here."_

"It'll be ok, I'll call you tonight. I love you, Sarah. It's all ok."

" _I love you too, Tim."_

Tim hung up the phone, then sat down on the couch entirely stunned. David sat next to him, keeping Tim's hand in his but not embracing him in case it would make Tim feel trapped. This was something new to Tim, and David wanted him to feel like he had as much control as possible.

"Penny's your father's mother, right?" David quietly asked.

Tim nodded, then released David and ran his hands up his own face and into his hair, looking down at the floor. David gently stroked Tim's back, again being supportive but not smothering. His watchful eye kept watch for any changes in Tim's body language as he processed the situation.

"Would she know how to talk about it with him?"

"I don't know," Tim whispered. He lifted his head up and looked at David. "I don't even know what to tell him. I was fine not even telling him at all, and fine not even talking to him in the first place. My life was fine!" Tim started gesturing with his hands. "God, I didn't need this now. Ziva just up and left, now _he_ shows up."

David slowly withdrew his hand from Tim's back and kept still. He spoke tepidly, figuring Tim was becoming increasingly volatile. "I know you didn't have much of a relationship with your father before. But now, the question now is, what kind of relationship do you want to have with him?"

Tim quickly stood up and started pacing. "It doesn't work like that," he said, nodding his head. "It's never about what any of us want, it never has been. He never listens, only orders. He is the Admiral. His word goes, and even then nothing is ever good enough."

"It doesn't have to be like that, you know."

"You don't know him, David. He's…" Tim clenched his hands into claws in frustration. "It's not going to matter."

"What if it does? Would you want to have a real relationship with him if you were given the chance?"

Tim stopped and closed his eyes. After a few moments, he sighed. "No. But Mom would want me to. So, yes, I guess. It's just not going to happen, whether I want it to or not."

David let it sink in for a moment, and they both processed in silence. He finally said, "Let me come with you."

"What?" Tim frowned. "No. He'll eat you alive just for intruding. I can handle this myself."

"Why? Don't sink to his demands just because he's ' _the Admiral_.' If you don't think anything will come of it, then you have nothing to lose. If you really want to have a relationship where he sees you happy, then show him why."

"Look at me!" Tim said, spreading his arms out. "Do I look happy right now?"

David looked up, then away. "I don't mean like that. I meant with us. Right now you look like anyone who's ever been in your position looked, including me."

Tim lowered his arms. He sometimes forgot that David had been on his end of that call once before.

David stood up and put his hands on Tim's shoulders. "I don't want to see you hurt, whether it's by having your father in your life or not. I won't pretend to know exactly how it'll go, but I do know that if you have a choice, you should never have to do this alone."

Tim gently leaned forward, touching their heads together. "Ok," he whispered. "Just… just follow my lead, ok? Don't make a scene, no matter what he says. It won't be pleasant."

"Ok."

They stayed like that for a moment before grabbing the boxes and leaving the house without another word.


	8. Chapter 8

NCIS

Tim and David spent much of their drive home in silent anticipation of the dinner to come that evening. When they got back, Tim called the restaurant and used his own name to make sure the reservation was changed to three people instead of just two. The restaurant was high-end and a go-to for politicians, so after they ran Jethro they began tidying up their appearances. They each took their turns showering separately. The temptation to fool around was there, but even seeing each other naked did little to combat the nervousness they both felt. David trimmed and styled his beard to keep it close and neat. Tim gelled and combed his hair neatly to one side, and shaved off any remnants of stubble. David dressed in a black 3-piece suit with a white shirt, a blue and silver tie, and a designer watch, all of which he had retrieved from his house just after the phone call. The suit was his favorite since it gave him a slimmer appearance while filling out the sleeves with his arms. Tim dressed in a black suit and a deep blue shirt, but despised wearing ties. He picked his finest watch and shoes, and just put them on when David emerged from the bathroom having also just finished changing.

"Holy shit," Tim said in awe. Combined with the serious look on his face, David looked like a _James Bond_ villain and Tim found it incredibly sexy. "You look… wow…" Tim let out a sigh. "If only I weren't so nervous right now…"

David blushed a little bit, glad his appearance was at least boosting Tim's morale. Tim slowly walked up to him and laced their fingers together.

"You don't have to do this," Tim said.

"Yes I do," David replied.

Tim looked at him endearingly, then squeezed his hand and said, "Let's go."

They took Tim's Porsche to the restaurant to blend in with the usual clientele. The restaurant was a steakhouse that had an excellent view of the Capitol. As their host guided them through to their table, they passed several politicians and CEOs. The net worth of just their section of the dining room was well into the billions, but they hardly noticed. They approached their table and saw the man in the Admiral's uniform. John McGee was in his early fifties, had short, silvery blonde hair combed to one side, and only looked to be slightly taller than Tim. His face held only a few wrinkles, but was otherwise seemingly flat and austere. His eyes were cold and blue, and he looked from Tim to David as they walked. They were seated in a corner with windows on each side. The table sat one person per side, and while Tim didn't want to have to sit directly next to his father, he did so that David wouldn't have to.

"Hello," Tim said flatly to his father as he sat down. John hadn't even stood to greet them.

"Timothy. And you are?" John asked, turning to David.

"David O'Malley," David offered his hand. John looked at his hand for a moment, then decided to shake it with has hard a grip as he could while staring right into David's eyes. David never winced or broke eye contact.

"And what brings you here? This is a private dinner and conversation between me and my son."

"I invited him," Tim spoke up, trying not to let David simply be dismissed.

"I see. And is _this_ ," he gestured to David with disdain in his voice, "what Sarah wouldn't tell me about? What _you_ haven't told me about and I had to hear by word of mouth?"

Tim was silent for a moment as he stared at his father. Under the table, he searched for David's hand and grasped it hard. "Yes, _he_ is my boyfriend."

John looked away in disgust and gently banged is fist on the table. He rarely restrained himself, but they were in public and that made it harder for him to display his temper. Thankfully the waiter came to take their order before his anger erupted. Tim waited until the waiter was out of earshot before continuing.

"Who told you that I was seeing David?" Tim asked.

"Not that it matters, but my aide first told me he'd heard it from someone in security at your building a few months ago. I thought you were better than that and put it aside. Then he said he heard again from someone else just the other day that you still were."

"You have your aide keep tabs on me through the rumor mill? Too difficult for you to just call yourself?" Tim said bitterly.

"God forbid you'd ever call me. I gave you your space but enough is enough! Why, Tim? Why has it come to this? You weren't man enough to join the Navy, now you're not even man enough to find a girl?"

Tim winced at the insults, but David stepped in.

"Tim's career and his relationships have nothing to do with his masculinity. There's no need for that kind of talk."

"Excuse me, I was not speaking to you," John said curtly.

"Dad," Tim warned.

"No, you were just insulting your son, which I resent." David's eyes began to flare, but he did his best to keep himself reeled in.

"I see," John said, then turned back to Tim. "So you need some fag to stand up for you now?"

Tim's blood raged and whatever fear he felt vanished. He was used to condescension from his father, but he wouldn't stand for him insulting David. "Don't you _dare_ say that word again. David is a better man than you with plenty of room to spare."

"He's certainly has plenty of something to spare," John jabbed while looking at David's torso.

Tim snarled and prepared a retort, but they were interrupted by the waiter bringing their drinks. John and Tim had both ordered whiskey, and David ordered a red wine yet kept sipping on the water already on the table.

David smirked, "Don't let him get to you, Tim. People always go for the weight jokes when they have nothing else to go on. Perhaps he'd be less concerned about your masculinity if his didn't result in a failed marriage and a son who's taken down bigger and worse men than him."

Tim's eyes shot wide open and looked admiringly at David. He'd never heard anyone talk like that about his father, much less right to his father's face. The dangerous glint in David's eyes made Tim's heart skip a beat. _'Holy shit, he's hot when he's on the attack,'_ he thought to himself almost smiled.

"You have some stones, but you will respect this uniform, boy," John growled at David. "This provided for Timothy and for the whole family."

David held his smirk and swirled the wine in his glass. "Yes, I'm sure the _uniform_ did." He eyed his target intently, wondering just how the precious uniform would look when painted with red wine.

"You've used the uniform excuse too many times, Dad. You used it to get away from all of us- Me, Sarah, even Mom," Tim said. "Why come back now? What is it you actually want?"

"What I want," John said, lowering his voice to avoid stares and laying his hand on the table in front of Tim, "is for you to get your head out of your ass and start living your life like a man. Stop lowering yourself to being a paper-pusher and being the toy of freaks and perverts like _him!_ "

Tim's temper shot up. He grabbed his father's outstretched hand and pinched the pressure point on it that Ziva taught him about. She called it the "Thumb Tap." Tim had practiced it several times under her instruction, and held his father like a vise-grip. John was stunned into silence as the pain coursed through his arm. He tried to withdraw, but Tim's grip was tighter than he predicted. Tim's eyes were full of fire, and he never stopped staring as his father writhed in his seat.

David would've been shocked at seeing Tim inflict pain on someone, but this man had repeatedly insulted him and Tim came to his defense. He beamed at Tim, and he felt a tingling sensation in his groin. _'My very sexy Special Agent SuperMcGee to the rescue… Focus David! Not why we're here!'_ he thought to himself.

"Do not insult David again. Do you understand me?" Tim said in a low, threatening voice to his father.

"Tim, Tim! Relax, it's ok," David softly placed his hand on Tim's arm to calm him. They had made a bit of noise and he wanted to avoid drawing attention. "They're just words, and by far not the worst I've heard."

Tim looked over at David, considered his request, then looked back at his father and begrudgingly released his hand. Tim grabbed his glass and downed the rest of his drink.

"So, _Admiral,_ " David continued, "are you going to be civil and actually have a conversation about this with your son, or are we done here?"

"Don't say another word," John looked threateningly at David. "You've already helped drive a wedge between me and my son, and what's worse is you've somehow corrupted his sister into thinking this nonsense is acceptable!"

"In case you haven't noticed, we're not on one of your ships," David said, matching John's stare. "Your orders mean nothing here, so give it a rest. And since you brought it up, there has been a wedge between you two for much longer than I've been in the picture."

Tim regained his composure and spoke up, "What exactly is so terrible, Dad? That I have someone in my life? That I'm not one of your Navy pawns? Neither of those are going to change."

"Everything about this is wrong!" John hissed. "How do you not see that?!"

"What I see is someone who cared enough to change around his entire life for me, and who at one point even was ready to die so that I wouldn't be killed. You've never once shown me a fraction of that kind of consideration. You've never been there when it mattered."

"Still using that same old excuse? That I wasn't there for you? I've been putting my life on the line for the whole country, and I don't intend to stop. That's a better kind of 'being there' than most people can say! So what, you want me to call you more? To visit more? Is that what it'll take for you to stop this foolish fantasy of yours?"

"That's not how it works, and David isn't some fantasy or experiment. I love him, and he loves me. Nothing you can say will change that. All you can decide is what part you want to play in my life."

"Tim, I'm concerned about the _direction_ of your life! Look at yourself! You're obviously not keeping in good shape, your job is demeaning, and you will never get anywhere else spending your time with… _him!_ And I won't let you drag my name through the mud just because you're too busy making excuses not to try for something better! If you choose this _lifestyle_ you will no longer be my son!"

David clenched his fist at the term 'lifestyle' and eyed his wine carefully. John was crossing every line, and David wanted to embarrass him for it. But then again, Tim had asked him not to make a scene.

Tim also made up his mind. "So you just show up out of nowhere and threaten to disown me? Well then, John, I hope your uniform and your name keep you happy, because I don't need you in my family. I've been better without you. Go on and disappear like you normally do. You won't be missed." Tim attempted to give smile to David, and then got up and left.

David sat for a moment, studying the glare he was now getting from the Admiral. "I know it'll take a while to absorb. If you change your mind, I'll be around to make sure he listens," David said diplomatically. He stood up and left to find Tim.

"We'll see," the Admiral said to himself.

NCIS

David drove them home since Tim drank whiskey, whereas David's wine never made it to his mouth. Tim seemed none the worse for wear, but David figured it would process in due time. Until then, the night was theirs. They drove with the top down, speeding up the highway back home.

Tim laughed to release the anxiety of the moment. "I can't believe you threw the divorce back in his face and boosted my career over his in one sentence. You came out of nowhere!"

"What I can't believe," David said as he squeezed Tim's thigh, "is how sexy you look when you do your _Special Agent White Knight_ routine and come to my rescue."

"No one insults my baby," Tim said as he slipped his fingers between David's. "No one."

David's cheeks turned pink and he felt the stirring in his groin again.

"I'm sorry it turned out like this, but I'm very proud of how you handled it," David said, giving Tim a comforting smile. "You gave him more chances than he deserved."

"You were right, I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for coming with me."

"You're welcome, baby. How are you feeling?"

Tim looked at him with hungry eyes. "Like all that matters tonight is you and me."

After they got home, Tim pulled David by his tie into a deep, passionate kiss. David grabbed Tim's hips and pulled him close, then began tugging his shirt out from his pants. Tim slid David's suit jacket off, then pulled him further into the apartment. They stumbled about, shedding clothes as they made their way to the bed, all the while trying not to break their tongue contact.

Tim fumbled with the buttons on David's shirt and eventually tore it open, sending buttons flying. David had already undone his tie and wrapped it around the back of Tim's neck to pull him closer as Tim groped his chest. David pulled them both backward onto the bed and wrapped his legs around Tim, who ground their hips together in a slow rhythm. Tim's hands kneaded every inch of David's flesh as they moved from his chest to his biceps. David's hands slid down Tim's back and under the band of his underwear to feel and pull forward the perfect, round cheeks underneath. Tim mouthed his way down David's face on onto his neck, and his fingers tweaked David's nipples. David gasped, arched his back and ground Tim's hips further into his. Tim's hard-on ached under its restraint, but it only swelled more when it felt David's on the other side of its own cloth. David bucked his hips to slide his underwear down, and tugged on Tim's underwear to also remove it. David grasped Tim's steel cock, causing Tim to lift his head and moan loudly. Tim looked deeply into David's eyes. They were full of fiery intensity and desire, wanting him and only him.

"Tim… please…" David panted. "Lube…" He looked over to the nightstand.

Tim reached over to pull the lube out of the nightstand while David pulled his arms out of his shirt. David sat up and resumed kissing Tim as he knelt over him. Tim snaked his tongue into David's mouth and pushed him back down onto the bed. He lubed up his fingers and began caressing David's entry. David gasped and stroked Tim's cock with one hand while gripping the sheets with the other. Tim slipped his finger into the loosening muscle, gently reaching up for David's spot. David's hand switched from Tim's cock to his own, needing to massage his aching organ. Tim added a second finger. David clamped his legs around Tim's waist, trying to steady himself against the sensations taking over his body. Tim breathed gently over the skin of David's neck, letting the hairs raise and the skin become even more sensitive. Tim slicked up his cock and gently teased David's hole with it. He found the sweet spot on David's collar, and softly bit down as he pushed his shaft forward. David cried out in pleasure and pulled both of his arms around Tim, holding him tightly as he adjusted to feeling Tim inside him for the first time in a month.

Tim held David gently as he felt the tightness of David's entry adjust. When David was ready, he gently nuzzled Tim's face and kissed down the side of his neck. Tim started with a slow rhythm, wanting them both to enjoy the love-making. Tim slid his left hand down to David's ass, pulling it closer to him. His other hand reached around David's arm to his bicep where it squeezed the hard muscle. David wrapped his hand around his own cock and stroked it to Tim's rhythm as it slowly increased. David used his legs to pull himself further onto Tim, and bucked his hips into each of Tim's thrusts. The feeling of David's hot tightness around Tim's cock was a sensation that Tim had greatly missed, and he couldn't keep himself from huffing into David's ear with each thrust.

"David…" Tim whispered.

David reached an arm up to push against the headboard, pressing him harder into Tim's thrusts. Tim continued nipping at David's ear and neck, and slid an arm up to join his hand with David's against the headboard. They gripped each other tightly. Tim heard the sounds of the ocean in his mind again. David's voice echoed distantly around him as he moved gently and rhythmically. The birds called, the sun shone, and waves of David's warmth engulfed him. Tim barely even felt the words escape his mouth.

"Will you… will you…?" Tim said under his breath. _'NO!'_ he thought to himself in a moment of clarity. _'Not like this, David deserves better.'_

David's eyes went wide for a moment, and he grappled both of his arms around Tim's body "Oh my god, TIM!" he cried as his body tensed and his orgasm rocked through him.

His cum coated his and Tim's chest, and the feeling cause Tim to give a final slam into David as he flooded him.

David held Tim tighter than he ever had. His orgasm left him trembling, and he whispered, "I love you," between heavy breaths.

Tim slowly came down from his high, and when he was finally able to speak he said, "I love you, so much."

David continued to nuzzle his face against Tim's. He slowly succumbed to post-coital exhaustion, gently releasing his grip and closing his eyes. Tim slipped out of David, and rolled over to the left so he could grab a towel from the floor and clean them both off. He turned off the light and rolled back over to hold David from behind. David instinctively nestled back against Tim and intertwined their fingers over his chest as Tim put his arm back around him.

Tim's mind raced as he kept wondering if David actually heard what he had said. He hadn't planned to say anything, and acting outside of a plan was very unusual for Timothy McGee. He was glad that he caught himself, but now he had to figure out what part of him decided that it was time to propose to David. Was it his body, riding high on endorphins and alcohol? Was it his heart, raw from having just severed what was left of his relationship with his father yet having David come to his aid? Tim felt afraid, but as he delved deeper into his feelings he realized he wasn't afraid that he wanted to propose. He was afraid that he ruined his proposal by starting to do it wrong. His brain wasn't really saying 'No,' it was simply saying 'Different.' He wanted to propose to David. He needed to propose to David. He was _going_ to propose to David.


	9. Chapter 9

NCIS

Tim couldn't sleep. His heart continued to pound as he lay in wait for David to be sleeping deeply. It was 0100, and David showed no signs of consciousness for the last hour. Tim slipped out of bed as quietly as he could, then went out to the living room and shut the door. He quietly booted up his computer and searched online for a way to covertly size someone's finger for a ring. He printed out a small sizing strip and used a pen-knife to cut it out. He had to cut out a small slit in the paper so that he could thread the strip through and make a loop to fit around David's finger. The printed side would face outward and show him the size when it was tight enough. Now came the hard part.

Tim grabbed a small LED light from his desk drawer and slipped back into the bedroom. David was laying on his left side with his left arm laying out in the space between the blanket and the pillow. Not wanting to turn on the light just yet, Tim used the light coming in from outside to guide his way. He crept over to David's side of the bed, and as his eyes adjusted to the dark he positioned the measuring paper near David's hand. His heart was thumping with anticipation. He started to slip the paper over David's finger. He made it most of the way up before David gave a soft hum and began to stir. Tim froze, and watched in horror as David unconsciously slid his hand underneath his pillow.

" _Shit!_ "Tim swore under his breath. His heart was hammering so hard he thought for sure just the sound of it would wake David. He waited a few minutes to see if David would shift again, and after no activity he devised his next moves. He slowly moved pushed the pillow up, inch by inch, until he could just see David's hand. He pressed the tip of his finger over the LED so that when it lit up, the light would be dulled by his flesh and would not wake up David. He slowly crawled forward to get the light close enough to see the measurement. The paper was slightly loose, so he started to pull it to fit properly around David's finger. David hummed again, indicating another move was imminent. Tim stealthily backed away, and watched as David sleepily rolled onto his right side and positioned his hand on the pillow right next to his face.

Tim tiptoed his way over to the other side of the bed. He had to ease himself into bed so that David wouldn't notice and move again. Tim needed to move David's hand so that the light wouldn't get directly in his eyes, and he determined there was only one way this could work. He nuzzled his back against David, who hummed in pleasure and instinctively snaked his left arm over Tim's chest. With David's face successfully blocked and his hand isolated, Tim quickly shone the light to see the measurement, memorized it, and then slipped the paper off of David's finger. He needed to get rid of the evidence, which would require David relinquishing his hold.

He gently pulled away, David sleepily whined but Tim whispered, "Just going to the bathroom, baby. I'll be right back." Tim kissed David's hand and slipped out of bed. He crept out of the bedroom into the living room and kept the door closed behind him. He cleared his recent browsing history and locked the scrap paper from the site and the measuring paper in his writing desk where David would never look.

NCIS

David had booked an appointment with a realtor on Saturday to look at a few potential locations near Silver Spring for his new bakery. While he was gone, Tim made the call to the jeweler in Los Angeles to get the price for a ring in David's size. He had decided on platinum instead of gold because he wanted it to last the longest, and after his latest book sale he was able to afford the increased price tag to make sure David got the best ring possible. Tim then called his grandmother and his sister to meet him at the botanical gardens in DC to discuss the events of last night.

Penelope Langston was a lively woman, and even in her early 70's she was active in her volunteer work as a curator at the US Botanic Garden. She never liked to be called 'Grandmother,' so instead she was called 'Penny' by her grandchildren. She was about a foot shorter than Tim, had shoulder-length brown hair, and had narrow face with wrinkles only made by the smile she held over the years. Her free-spirit personality was radiant and welcoming.

When Tim arrived at the garden, Penny was using her hands to explain to Sarah the energy flowing through a bonsai tree. Sarah noticed Tim and was grateful for the interruption. She ran up and gave him a tight hug.

"Oh, it's so good to see you," she said. "How did everything go?"

"It's ok, we've got it mostly sorted out," Tim said.

"Timothy!" Penny said with excitement. Her voice was smooth and warm. She walked over and took both of Tim's hands and brought them together with a squeeze. "Sweetheart, how are you?"

"I'm doing ok, but there's been a lot going on. Let's walk."

"I know that tone," she said as they began walking. She linked her arm around Tim's, not for physical support for herself but for emotional support for him. "Your father?"

"Well, he plays a part in it, but it actually starts with someone else. I've been seeing someone for almost a year. His name's David."

"David?" she said the name curiously, then smiled. "Well it's about time. I wondered when you'd start trying to date men."

"I wasn't _trying_ to date a guy," Tim said with a roll of his eyes, "we just sorta happened. I met him online playing this game, and we just got closer and closer. It's been really great, though."

Sarah also smiled and chimed in, "He's really sweet, Penny, even if deep down he is a dork like Tim."

Penny looked at Sarah with intrigued surprise. "You've met him already?" She then looked at Tim and gently swatted him on the arm. "Shame on you, Timothy, for making me the last to know! Well, I'm guessing the young Admiral found out too and threw a hissy-fit?"

"Yeah," Tim sighed and looked down. "Just last night. He said I was making a mistake and that I was ruining my life, and he kept saying all this horrible stuff about David."

"Oh dear." Penny pursed her lips in thought. "Are you alright, honey?"

"I'm ok," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm actually surprised David handled it as well as he did. I thought for sure David would punch him for the things he was saying. I know I didn't exactly restrain myself as well as I should have."

"David was there?" Sarah asked in a shocked tone.

"Yeah, he didn't want me to have to talk to him alone. He held his own against Dad pretty well, and even helped get Dad out from under my skin."

"Well? Do I have to guess how it ended?" Penny asked.

"I'm sure you could. Dad basically disowned me since I refused to stop seeing David. Well, I kinda disowned him first. Not really sure how that works, but eventually we left. I feel… I'm not sure. It's like I'm glad, but it still sucks. He wasn't much of a dad to me, but he was still Dad."

"You've still got us, Tim," Sarah said reassuringly.

"Absolutely," Penny agreed. "Your father's bark is worse than his bite. I wouldn't worry about it."

"Thanks. At first I felt a bit of relief, but I guess that was just for being out of the conversation. Once things cooled down, it all kind of hit me. I don't feel happy about it, but I guess it could've been worse and I'm glad it's not. Sarah, have you talked to Mom lately?"

"No. I think last time was around Christmas."

"I'll have to call her and tell her," Tim said with concern. "I'd rather she heard it from me than Dad."

"I'm sure that one will go over better," Penny said as she rubbed Tim's arm. "So, tell me about this David. I want all the details!"

Tim smiled thinking of certain intimate details he'd leave out. "He's 29, he lives in a small town in Pennsylvania – well at least used to," he caught himself, still familiarizing himself with them living together. "He owns and runs a bakery, and he's looking into selling it and buying a new one closer to home. Until then, it basically runs itself so he's only really involved in special projects and events."

"And his family?"

"Out of the picture, basically same reactions as Dad."

"That's unfortunate, but also common these days. And you two practice safe sex?"

" _Penny!_ " Tim hissed. He looked at Sarah, who grimaced.

"What? It's important and it should be talked about!"

"We both got tested when it was getting serious, and we've been exclusive ever since."

"Ah," Penny smiled, "it is much better once you lose the ol' rubber, isn't it?"

Sarah gagged, and coughed out, "Ok, I did _not_ need that mental image regarding my brother."

Tim smiled embarrassedly, and Penny gave him a nudge in the side.

"So when do I get to meet him?" Penny asked.

"Hopefully soon, since he lives with me now. Actually, there was something else I wanted to ask you about, Penny."

"Oh?"

"When you and Grandpa were getting married, how… did you know?"

"Well I think the white dress clued me in," Penny said smartly.

Tim rolled his eyes. "I mean, how'd you know you were ready?"

Penny clapped her hands over her mouth and her eyes widened. "Timothy McGee! You're not…"

Sarah stopped and stared in amazement. "No way! You're thinking of proposing?!"

Tim bit his lip, then smiled and nodded.

Penny and Sarah both squealed so loud that passersby stared at them for a moment. Penny gave Tim a hug while Sarah bounced up and down in excitement.

"That's wonderful!" Penny said.

"It's just that it's barely been a year," Tim said nervously, "and I don't want to go too far too fast. I keep getting this nagging feeling like I should, but I just don't know if it's the right time. It's not like I've ever done this before, but he has and I can't even ask him for advice without ruining the whole thing."

"He's been married?" Penny asked.

"David had a partner years back, but he died."

"At least he's good with commitment. Well let's think about it, if he's already been there before and he's moving in with you now, that's a pretty good indicator that he's taking the relationship in that direction," Penny advised.

"I agree," Sarah chimed in. "When we had dinner he seemed pretty serious. He was already looking into moving just so that you wouldn't have to leave DC."

"How do you feel about it, Tim?" Penny asked.

"I… feel nervous, anxious, excited, terrified, just everything," Tim said anxiously.

"Can you think of any reason that you shouldn't marry him?"

Tim thought long and hard. He kept having doubts about his work getting in the way of their lives, but David reassured him time and again that they could work through it. If he hadn't meant it, would he have worked so hard to move in with Tim? Would David even want to be married again after the death of his husband, or was moving in enough for him?

"If he was married once before, do you think he'll want to get married again?" Tim asked.

"Again, he's come this far for you. Most people who don't want to get married usually wear it on their sleeve," Penny said. "I like the idea of a relationship, but I doubt I'd necessarily get married again. Has David ever said anything like that?"

"No," Tim answered.

Sarah spoke up, "He worked his ass off to impress me when we met. I'd say he's willing to go pretty far, Tim."

"If you really want to marry him, then that's reason enough to ask, dear," Penny added

"I do. I even have a ring picked out but just wanted to talk it through before I ordered it."

"Well there you go!" Penny put her hands on Tim's cheeks. "Now that that's settled, how are you going to do it?"

Tim smiled. "I don't know. I had a couple of ideas but this has all happened so quickly, I haven't had time to really think about that part of it yet."

"When's your anniversary?" Sarah asked.

"Late May. Two and a half months."

"I say do it on the anniversary, same place you first met," Sarah said.

"Oooh, I like that," Penny said. "Where was it?"

"Actually not far from here at a café next to the Smithsonian. We had lunch at a table outside, then went to the Air and Space museum, and then went home." He didn't realize how the last bit sounded until after he said it.

"You took him home on the first date?" Penny said, astonished. "Why, Timothy! I never realized you moved so fast!"

"No, it wasn't like that-" Tim started to say, his face beginning to flush.

"Oh that's nothing," Sarah interrupted, "David told me he didn't even make it more than a few minutes before kissing him." She grinned at the chance to embarrass Tim.

"My, my, my!" Penny said with a smile of her own.

Tim tried to say something, but his mouth was frozen and his face was nearly purple, so all he managed to do was huff.

"Does David suspect?" Sarah asked.

"I don't think so. I almost let it slip during… well…"

"An indelicate moment?" Penny completed for him.

Sarah held up her hand and closed her eyes, again denying the mental image.

"Yeah, that." Tim said. "But I didn't want to do it like that."

"Oh good for you. So many men chicken out and do that instead. A mid-coitus proposal is so cliché," Penny said.

Sarah had her fingers in her ears and tried to think of anything but her brother having sex.

Tim chuckled, then tapped Sarah on the shoulder indicating the conversation would go back to safer territory.

"I like your idea, Sarah. I think re-visiting where we first met just gives it that symmetry. Where one part of our life ends and the next begins. I just hope taking him there won't give away what I'm planning."

Sarah smiled. "Just 'eighty-six' the Air and Space museum this time around. He might die of boredom before you propose if you take him through there a second time."

NCIS

After thoroughly planning several scenarios for a proposal, Tim went home to meet David for dinner. David was blasting music while on the computer. When David heard the door open, he dropped the music and stood up to greet him.

"Hey baby, welcome back," David said as he gave Tim a quick kiss. "Where were you?"

"I was out meeting Sarah and Penny. Just wanted to talk with them about last night."

"How'd it go?"

"It went great. Penny really wants to meet you, so we'll be setting that up soon. How did things go with the realtor?"

"Well the first place was ok as far as buildings go, but something about it just gave me the creeps. The other places were either in weird locations or just not right for a bakery. I've been doing some more research but I'm not used to it. I was gonna ask if you wouldn't mind giving me a hand."

"Sure, I'd love to. Do we want to get dinner first?" Tim asked as they sat down on the couch.

"I'm craving Thai food for some weird reason. If we have it delivered we'll be able to have it here while we look around online."

"Sounds good. Let me get into something comfortable," Tim said as he tried to stand up.

David pulled him back down and straddled his lap. "Allow me to help…"

He cupped the back of Tim's head with his hand and gave him a deep kiss. He continued tonguing him while he slid his other hand up Tim's chest and over his shoulders to ease his jacket off. Tim moaned in approval and ran his hands up David's thighs. David started unbuttoning Tim's shirt slowly and kissed his way down Tim's cheek to his neck.

"You should help me get changed more often," Tim said seductively.

"You know me, always lending a helping _hand_." David emphasized the word by squeezing Tim's growing erection.

Tim moaned again, but the moment was ruined by the audible growling of his stomach. Tim and David softly laughed.

"I think we'd best continue this after dinner?" Tim said.

"I'll be sure to take you up on that." David reached down and kissed Tim again, and then stood up to go order the food.

Once the food arrived, they sat at the desk with Tim on David's lap. With Tim's help, they eliminated certain areas that either had too many similar shops in close proximity or where historically shops had only lasted a few years before closing. They also looked into property taxes as well as ease of delivery for materials. They finally narrowed it down to seven locations near Silver Spring, and three locations in the heart of DC. David occasionally had a hard time focusing, especially when Tim would shift his balance over David's crotch and start David stiffening up. Having Tim in such close contact was distracting David enough without what Tim swore was him "just getting comfortable." David booked appointments over the next two weeks with his realtor to see the sites. Once their research was completed, they sat back on the couch and continued with their dinner.

"So, how are you doing after everything?" David asked.

"Better. It was nice to talk it out with Sarah and Penny."

"Have you decided whether or not to email Ziva?"

"Yeah, I will. Regardless of how she left, I still am hoping she'll change her mind and come back. I want her to know we want her to come back."

"Good. Maybe she'll even have some advice about things with your father."

"Maybe. I just want things to be as normal as they can be, you know?"

"Yeah."

"I think it's probably a good idea for me to call my mom, too. She should know what's going on. Would you mind if I did that now? You've been dealing with a lot of this with me, so you don't have to do this too."

David gave him a confused look. "Baby, all of this is huge, and we're dealing with it as a couple. I'm here for whatever you need me to do."

"Thanks," Tim said before kissing him. He then picked up his phone, dialed his mother's number and put the call on speaker.

" _Hi Timothy, I wondered when you'd call,"_ his mother's soft voice said.

"Hi, Mom. I take it this means you've heard from Dad?"

" _I almost think I could've heard him without the phone call."_

"Yeah, he was about the same way when I talked to him. I'm sorry to cause all this trouble."

" _Sweetheart don't apologize. Just tell me, was he right? Are you seeing another man?"_

"Yes, his name is David."

" _And are you at a bad job, getting nowhere in life?"_

"No, Mom. NCIS has been really great for me, and my life is going great minus Dad flipping out."

" _So you're safe and you're happy?"_

"Yes, I am. I didn't realize that I wasn't happy until David showed up," Tim smiled and squeezed David's hand.

" _Then I'm happy for you, honey. I just wish I didn't have to hear it from your father, and that you'd call more!"_

"I'll try to call more. Work's been busy but I'll make the time."

" _Good. I'd love to come up and meet the lucky man sometime. Maybe for Thanksgiving this year?"_

"Sounds perfect. I'll let Sarah know you're coming. I have to go, but I just wanted to call."

" _Thanks sweetie. I love you."_

"I love you too, Mom," Tim said and hung up the call.

Tim leaned forward into David's embrace.

"Better?" David asked.

"Much better."


	10. Chapter 10

NCIS

McGee had to go back to work eventually. He and Tony walked in together at the same time, and their eyes met the empty desk before them. Tony grimaced at the sight of Ziva's desk, but tried to hide it. McGee wanted to say something to cheer him up, but no words of comfort came to mind. For the next two days, they worked mostly on cold case files and organization. With Tony injured and his arm in a sling, that left only McGee and Gibbs for any field work, which often left Tony alone to fend off the phone calls at the desks. McGee tried to make trips down to visit Abby when time allowed. She was visibly not herself either, and their conversations weren't very in-depth. She kept a photo of Ziva on her desk next to the monitor, but it was no replacement. He could tell that Tony wasn't doing well. The shadows under his eyes were becoming bolder. It was only the Wednesday after Ziva left that McGee decided to try and at least get Tony to say something.

McGee dropped his report off at Gibbs' desk and stopped off at Tony's. "Hey, Tony. Let's go get a drink."

Tony paused, but didn't look up. "No thanks, Probie."

"Tony, please? Just a drink."

"You have David. Have him go with you."

"He's busy. Hasn't messaged me back. But it's not the same, and you need someone too."

Tony looked up and saw the sincere look in McGee's eyes. He sighed and nodded.

McGee let Tony drive and pick the place. They wound up in Tony's favorite bar, the same one he went to when he ran into David. Tony was silent for a couple of drinks, and McGee tried to let down his professional walls so that Tony could relax.

"When was the last time you slept?" Tim asked.

"Not sure," Tony said quietly.

"I'm worried about you. You're my partner and I have to watch your back."

"I thought David was your partner."

"You know what I mean, Tony. That's the second time you've brought up David. What's going on?"

"Nothing. I'm glad you have David to go back to. You have David, Abby has Gibbs though not in the same way, and I… have Johnny Walker." Tony took another gulp from his second glass of the liquor.

Tim paused for a moment. "You had Ziva, is what you wanted to say."

"I thought I did. Then I fucked up."

"Don't blame yourself for her leaving. You may have messed up when you confronted Rivkin alone, but you were trying to do the right thing."

Tony lowered his head and ran his fingers through his hair before slowly straightening out and taking hold of his drink again. "I goaded her on in Israel. I let her punch me down. It was just the two of us there. I knew she needed to let it out, so I let her. Then she drew her gun on me."

Tim watched him carefully. He wanted to believe that Ziva wouldn't have pulled her gun on any of them. But if she felt for Rivkin anything remotely like what he felt for David, he could believe that she did.

"I pushed her to get it out of her system. But I didn't expect to _want_ her to shoot me."

"You _wanted_ …" Tim said slowly in disbelief.

"Afterwards I almost didn't believe it. But if it helped, I would've let her do it."

"Out of guilt?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I… All I know is that it was the last time we were alone. My arm hasn't stopped aching since, and I haven't tried to stop it." Tony finished the glass and rubbed his eyes.

"You haven't taken your medication because the pain is the last thing you have from Ziva, and as long as it's there, so is she."

Tony looked away and said nothing.

Tim continued, "I'm sorry, Tony. I didn't know. But you have me, too."

Tony rolled his eyes and chuckled emptily. "For now. You'll probably move in with David and you'll transfer somewhere else so you can spend more time with him. I might as well go back to being an Agent Afloat."

"Actually, David just moved down here so that wouldn't happen."

"Then it's already started."

"No, Tony. David moved here so that I could be with my family. That includes you. I don't just up and leave family. I leave that to my father." Tim put a comforting hand on Tony's shoulder.

"My familial examples haven't exactly been ideal, so you can understand if I feel skeptical," Tony said as he looked back. He didn't make Tim remove his hand.

"If you didn't understand what family really meant, you wouldn't be feeling this way right now."

Tony looked down at the bar and nodded gently.

Tim stood up and dropped some money on the bar for their drinks. "Come on, you're staying with me and David tonight. It'll be good for you not to be alone. Tomorrow morning, we'll make you breakfast before work."

Tony cuffed Tim's shoulder as they left. "Thanks, Tim."

NCIS

Tim drove them back to his apartment even though Tony seemed ok after the drinks. It was 2100, and as they pulled in Tim didn't notice David's car, but he figured he was just out for groceries or getting a late dinner after his busy day. As Tim opened the door, he heard Jethro barking repeatedly and yelping as if in pain. Jethro didn't come up to greet them as per usual, and his barks were muffled like he was stuck in the bedroom. Tim's suspicions were confirmed when he saw the closed bedroom door, but as he was worried about Jethro's yelps. He opened the door, and the sight caused him to gasp. Jethro was limping on three legs. His front right leg looked twisted and hung limply. His mouth also looked smeared with small amounts of blood. Jethro had relieved himself in the bedroom for having been locked away for too long.

"Oh god! Jethro, what happened?!" Tim yelled as he dropped down to the bedroom floor to examine him.

Jethro whimpered and laid down, trying to keep weight off of his broken leg.

"Tim…" Tony said in a very confused and haunting voice.

When Tim looked around, Tony's mouth hung gently open and his eyes were staring at the coffee table.

"What is it?"

"It's… a note from David."

"Call the emergency vet clinic," Tim said as he stood up. "The number's on the refrigerator. What the hell is going on?" He reached the coffee table and saw the note along with David's 'Rebel Scum' keychain. The note read:

 _Tim-_

 _I can't do it. I can't let you waste your life being stuck with me. It's not your place to pick up my broken pieces. You deserve better, and you'll move on to better. Rule 16 – Never apologize. It's a sign of weakness. I don't expect you to ever forgive me, and I know better than to ask._

 _Goodbye_

 _-David_

Tim read the note several times. It was definitely in David's handwriting, but it made no sense. He never said anything about his misgivings about their relationship. As far as Tim knew, he was happy. He reread the text 'Rule 16,' but the text following it wasn't right. _'Rule 16,'_ Tim thought to himself. _'If someone thinks they have the upper hand, break it.'_ It was one of David's favorites.

"This is wrong, this can't possibly be," he said to himself.

"The clinic's open, they can take Jethro," Tony said as he came back to the living room. He delicately reached out to Tim. "What did the rest of the note say?"

Tim walked over to the bookshelf that separated the living room from his writing corner. He examined one of the bookends carefully, then whisked over to his computer and began hunting through files.

"Tim, what are you doing?"

"I have a hidden security camera in the bookshelf. It sends video feed to the computer whenever there's motion in the room or at the door. I forgot to tell him about it the other day when he moved in. He quoted Rule 16 in his note but he wrote out rule 6 instead. I have to know if this was a mistake or if he's sending me a message."

Tim hunted through the files and found the ones from earlier today. Tony watched over his shoulder.

"There's nothing for the last ten hours," Tim said, "but the rest of the morning is here."

He pulled footage from earlier which showed when Tim left for work, and he played on fast-forward. David's movements around the apartment were recorded as he did dishes and some minor cleaning. Jethro was laying peacefully on the couch. About two hours after Tim had left, something got David and Jethro's attention at the door. Tim slowed down to regular speed and turned on audio, and watched as David opened the door. There was a small pop and a buzz, and he immediately began shaking and fell to the ground, and two large men hurried through the door and shut it behind them. The first man wore a camouflage jacket with black pants and held the taser that hit David. The second one wore a black coat and pants. They both wore black ski masks, sunglasses and gloves. The man in black walked over David and started to reach down to grab his arms.

Tim gasped and clapped his hand to his mouth as he watched.

Jethro snarled and lunged from the couch to attack the man grabbing David. He sunk his teeth into the man's arm, and he yelled in pain. The man in camo stomped on Jethro's leg with a sickening crunch and kicked him away. Jethro emitted a high-pitched yelp and limped into the bedroom where the man in camo closed the door. The two dragged David's still-shaking body into the living room.

Tim felt sick and was shaking. Tony was too shocked to move.

" _Fuck!"_ the wounded man said. _"You didn't say it was an attack dog."_

" _You'll live,"_ the man in camo said. _"Get yourself bandaged up. Don't leave any trace here, not even shit from the taser. We can't risk any evidence being left behind. The other one's some kind of Navy Cop. If they think it's a crime scene it'll all go to hell."_

As they cleaned up the scene, the man in camo searched the place for cameras. The man checked the corners and the walls, but went past the fake decoration shaped like a bookend. David slowly returned to lucidity and looked around.

" _What the fuck is going on?"_ David said groggily as he tried to stand up.

The man in camo walked over and gave David a right hook across the face.

The sound of the impact echoed too clearly through Tim's speakers. Tony gasped as David fell backward. Tony knew better than Tim how well David could take a punch, and was terrified of how much force was behind that fist.

The man then grabbed David by the hair and shoved him forward to the coffee table. On the screen he stood to the right. Jethro's whimpering and yelping could be heard in the background. The man in the black coat joined them on the left.

" _Don't speak unless told to,"_ the man in camo, obviously the leader of the duo, said in a chilling voice. _"You will write a note that you're leaving this guy, then we're all going to leave. Make it convincing. If he comes looking for you, he dies."_

The other man handed set a piece of paper and a pen on the table in front of David. _"Write,"_ he said.

" _Fuck off,"_ David said with a cold stare.

He grabbed the back of David's head and slammed it into the edge of the coffee table.

"DAVID!" Tim screamed, trying to reach through the screen to save him.

Tony moved back and was already on the phone to Gibbs. He tried not to touch anything and started scanning for more evidence while it was dialing.

" _Yeah?"_ Gibbs answered.

"Gibbs, get everyone over to Tim's now. Fucking everyone. It's a crime scene, David's been kidnapped. Send Ducky and Palmer to collect Jethro, and get Abby to the lab and ready for evidence. NOW!" Tony yelled an order at Gibbs for the first time, then closed his phone and went back to the screen.

The one on the right had a gun drawn and pointed at David's head, and David began writing the note. The other had searched his pockets and went over to the coat hooks to pull David's car key off of it. He looked at the keychain attached to it, and he waved it in front of David.

" _He give you this?"_

David nodded, not wanting to risk speaking. The man unhooked the chain and let it drop to the table. He then pocketed the Mini's key. While David finished the note, the man in the black coat also took David's wallet and phone which were out on the cut-out counter in the wall. David dropped the pen and looked up at the main with the gun.

The leader turned to his lackey and said, _"Finish the dog and take him with us."_

David piped up in rage. _"If you do, Tim will never stop looking."_

The man in camo hit David with the handle of his gun. _"Shut up!"_

" _If you take him with you, his chip will alert Tim he's ran away and they'll be onto you,"_ David said rapidly from the floor, feeling the bleeding cut on the side of his head.

The man studied him for a moment, then said, _"Put on your shoes, and let's go. If you make any sudden moves or if you call for help, you and your faggot boy toy will die. Keep calm and cooperate, and you just might live."_

He pulled the gun close so it wasn't obvious he had one but it was still pointed at David. After they marched him out the door and closed it again, the camera detected no more motion and stopped recording.

Tim was hyperventilating at his desk. He looked up at Tony with tears in his eyes. His mind was racing and his heart was ripping itself apart with frenzy.

"Tony, we have to find him!"

"McGee, stop! Don't touch anything. This is a crime scene now." Tony grabbed two sets of gloves from his gear bag and handed one to Tim. "Put these on, right now."

Tim was frozen solid. He couldn't process anything after seeing David beaten like that. Tony walked over to him and fit the gloves on him, then put his hands on Tim's shoulders.

"We're going to find him, Tim. Jethro has evidence on him that'll help us figure out who's behind this. Just don't move, ok? I have to make some calls."

NCIS

After Tony finished his calls, he moved McGee over to his writing desk which, per the video, appeared to be untouched. McGee became restless and began pacing, feeling useless knowing that David was out there and he couldn't help. Gibbs arrived about a half hour later with a small squad of NCIS agents, along with Ducky, Palmer, Director Vance, FBI Special Agent Tobias Fornell and a small team of FBI agents.

"DiNozzo, what the hell happened?" Gibbs asked.

"First thing's first," Tony said. He turned to Ducky and Palmer and said, "Follow me." He led them to the bedroom where Jethro was still laying on the ground, panting. "His leg is broken, but the blood on his mouth and teeth belong to one of the attackers. Get him to Abby, ASAP."

"Mister Palmer, ask one of the other agents to help you with the stretcher," Ducky said as he knelt down. "I'm going to examine Jethro."

"Right," Palmer said as he got up and left.

Tony then turned to Gibbs, Vance and Fornell. "McGee's still in shock, but I gloved him and made sure he didn't touch anything else once we found out what happened." He pointed discreetly to where Tim paced himself in circles, not having even looked up at the others' presence. Tony walked the other three back towards the living room. He turned to Gibbs and asked, "Do they know?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Wasn't my place to tell."

Fornell spoke up, "He said it was someone from McGee's family. Didn't think we had jurisdiction, but I'd never turn down a request for help from Gibbs."

Vance said, "If my guess from last year is correct, then I already know."

Tony looked at them both sternly. "I'm telling you this under the strictest of confidences and with the trust that you will act professionally. The victim, David O'Malley, is McGee's partner."

The information didn't faze either of them. Vance nodded, and Fornell simply responded with, "Ok."

Tony waited until he was satisfied with their reactions and continued, "We came in and McGee found Jethro locked in the bathroom. He was already injured and already had blood on him. While McGee attended to him, I spotted a note from David on the coffee table saying that he was leaving. McGee didn't believe it, and found security footage on the computer showing David being tasered. Jethro bit one of the men, and that's where the blood and the broken leg came from. David resisted and they beat him, and then forced him to write the note. He left us a message in it, _Rule 16_. At first we weren't sure if he made a mistake, but the video was pretty clear. Then afterward they took him. It happened around 10 this morning. His phone's off, so we have no way of tracking him."

"Let's see the recording," Gibbs said.

Tony showed them the recording on McGee's computer. During the video, Tony could hear McGee take a sharp breath whenever David or Jethro were injured.

"They were guns for hire," Fornell said. "Pre-meditated. They knew McGee was NCIS, too."

"Rule 16," Gibbs said, " _If someone thinks they have the upper hand, break it._ David's going to try to resist again and fight his way out of the situation."

"And if he does, he might get himself killed," Fornell added.

"If he's resisting then he doesn't believe they're really after Tim since they're on video admitting everything," Gibbs said.

"No, David doesn't know about the camera. He's sending a message to Tim trying to tell him what happened and get him to safety."

"We need to talk to McGee," Vance said, nodding in McGee's direction.

Gibbs nodded, and the four of them walked back to the writing corner. McGee was startled as he looked up to see them all staring.

"Boss," he started while shaking his head, "I have to go, I have to find him!"

"McGee! You're going to have to pull it together to help us out here, ok?" Gibbs said.

McGee nodded silently.

"Did O'Malley have any enemies?" Fornell asked.

"My father," McGee sighed. "When he found about David, out he disowned me. He never threatened David, but he's the only one I can think of that has anything against him. Everyone else loves David." He proceeded to tell them the exact events of the dinner, leaving out no detail of any of their actions.

Tony's phone rang, and he excused himself.

"Your father, Admiral John McGee?" Vance asked. "You think after that argument he would go this far?"

"He's the only one that makes sense," McGee looked up at him. "These guys wanted me to think he just left me so I wouldn't follow him. That would fit with what my father wanted. David also wrote something similar to what my father said when they met. I think that was also David trying to tell us who he thought sent them."

"We'll bring him in," Gibbs said.

"Be very careful, Agent Gibbs," Vance warned. "SECNAV will be breathing down my neck if he finds out a decorated Admiral is our prime suspect."

"Those men threatened the life of one of our agents and kidnapped his partner," Gibbs said angrily. "I wouldn't care if SECNAV himself were the suspect. It's my case, and Admiral or not he's connected to the victim in a negative way."

"Gather intel on his movements and financials first to connect him to the kidnappers. Keep me very tightly in the loop, Gibbs. As for McGee, he's barred from the investigation, and since his life has been threatened he should be placed under protection."

"Sir!" McGee protested, "I can't just sit around doing nothing! He's out there and it's the most critical period of a kidnapping!"

"Leon, I can't work with most of my team on the bench!" Gibbs nearly shouted. "DiNozzo's injured, Ziva's gone, making McGee the only field agent I have left."

"I know that, both of you," Vance replied. "I also know that McGee's too close to this. My decision stands."

"I'll commit what resources I can to finding him," Fornell added, trying to reassure Gibbs and McGee. "O'Malley's a civilian so I shouldn't have a problem getting more people. You do the investigating at the office, we'll be your field agents."

Vance considered it, then nodded in approval.

Gibbs chimed in, "We have to assume that McGee's being monitored somehow. They knew when he'd be away at work, so they've been watching him at the very least. We'll get everyone out quickly once we've gotten enough evidence. I'll take him back to NCIS with me and DiNozzo."

Out of the corner of his eye, Gibbs saw Tony snap his phone shut and storm out of the apartment. Gibbs excused himself to follow, and the other three watched as he went after Tony. McGee followed but stayed behind. Gibbs found Tony down the hall, slamming his foot into the building's outdoor railing. With every kick, Tony yelled in frustration.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted.

Tony looked up at him and stopped. He was huffing, and his eyes were red. Gibbs shot him a quizzical look.

"West Grove PD just got back to me. They were at David's house hours ago. It exploded and burned down earlier today. They said they think it was a gas leak. They…" His last words got stuck in his throat. His face contorted and he brought his hand up to hide it.

"What, Tony?" Gibbs pressed.

Tony hadn't seen McGee standing in his doorway, but he was loud enough for him to hear. "Gibbs, they found a body."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N - Thanks all for reading :D I published chapters 9 and 10 together because I wasn't sure if I'd have the chance to post again so soon, but everything's all good now and I'm on track for the rest of the story.**

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NCIS

David slowly woke up in the back seat of the SUV the two men had stuffed him into. He figured the rag they put over his face would be doused with some kind of sedative, but that knowledge did nothing to ease the headache he now felt. ' _Still,_ ' he thought, _'better than the taser again.'_ His wrists were cuffed with zip-ties together and bound very tight. Moving slowly to avoid garnering attention, he moved his fingers to the outside of his shorts pockets to make sure that the taser probes he pulled rather painfully out of his chest were still there. He felt the small, round pieces of barbed metal hidden under the fabric, and moved his hands away again. He looked up and saw that it was still daylight. They were moving, and doing so quickly and smoothly. He slowly sat up slowly.

"Don't get any ideas," the driver, the man in the camouflage jacket said, barely turning his head to look back at him.

The two of them were alone in the car, and David saw his Mini being driven just ahead of them. He recognized the strip of highway as the one heading northeast towards West Grove. It was just after 12:30. In the reflection of the window, David could see the bruised and cut area of his forehead where he had been thrown into the coffee table, and he felt the area of dried blood from another hit on the left side of his head. David desperately tried to figure a way out of the situation. If Tim knew he was missing, he might check his financials to see where he'd gone and who this guy was. He hated the thought of sounding like he was bribing his way out of this, but he doubted much else would work.

"How much are you being paid?" David asked.

The man said nothing.

"How much? I can pay you more."

"Enough."

"I can pay double for you to fake completion of whatever this is. That's a triple paycheck," David reasoned.

"I don't think so."

"You must've run my records, you know I can."

The man was silent for a few minutes.

"Ten, each," he finally said.

David hesitated only for effect. "Means an extra twenty each. I can make it work. Do we have a deal?"

The man inched his head to the side. "Why should I believe you'd do that?"

David thought it out for a moment. "You made it look like I left, so I think we both know you're not getting paid in full until someone else is convinced I'm staying away."

The man was silent again.

"I'll pay you half now as insurance, then the second half when I'm convinced you're gone, just like the client," David measured the man's responses as he spoke. It seemed as if his guess as to the client's method was correct.

The man stayed silent for the remainder of the ride. David shook with nervousness as they pulled into the parking lot if his condo complex. He remembered the last time he was driven here against his will, and it was not a pleasant memory. The man wet the rag with a liquid from a small bottle, and reached back to put it over David's face. David felt its effects push him into unconsciousness. His gut told him it would be for the last time.

NCIS

Birds sang softly in the trees that bloomed brightly outside the café. Tim walked with David's hand in his. The sky was clear, the sun was high, and a soft breeze carried itself gently across their skin. As they approached the spot where they embraced for the first time, Tim pulled the small wooden box from his pocket and went down on one knee. He opened the box and showed the ring to David. The wide platinum band shone brightly in the sunlight.

" _David O'Malley, I love you with all my heart and soul,"_ his words echoed across the open air. _"Will you marry me?"_

David smiled, but then his smile quickly vanished and was replaced by a frown. _"Fuck off,"_ he said in a distant, angry voice.

The sky darkened with clouds, the air grew cold and the birds stopped singing. Then John McGee appeared behind David in his Admiral's uniform. He pulled out his gun, pointed it at the back of David's head, and fired.

Tim gasped as he woke with a start from the dream.

"Woah, woah, McGee, relax," Gibbs said calmingly.

It took McGee a moment to figure out where he was. He never even remembered closing his eyes while Gibbs drove. Gibbs had just parked the car at NCIS when Tim woke.

McGee rubbed his aching head and said, "Sorry, Boss. Bad dream."

" _Rule Number Three: Don't believe what you're told. Double check._ The police couldn't ID the body definitively. David's not dead until Ducky says so, Tim. We'll find him."

"Thanks, Boss, but not really helping. Even if he's alive, he's out there and they've had more than twelve hours to get him anywhere."

He retrieved his bag from the car and brought it in. It was nearly midnight but the whole team was on duty to help find David in any way possible. Gibbs brought him down to the morgue where Ducky and Palmer had just finished putting the cast on Jethro.

"Ah, Timothy, you're just in time. I've already given the blood sample to Abby for analysis, and Jethro has been an excellent patient in letting me fix him up."

McGee somberly walked over to Jethro and softly pet his head. "Hey, buddy. Daddy's going to be ok."

Gibbs' heart silently broke for McGee, remembering himself what it felt like to be called 'Daddy' and never having the chance to be called that again. Ducky and Palmer stood silently on standby for whatever support McGee would need.

"Stay here," Gibbs said to McGee. "I'll be with Abby."

After he left, McGee sat down on the table next to Jethro. Jethro laid his head down on Tim's lap, still woozy from the sedatives Ducky gave him. McGee absent-mindedly ran his hand through Jethro's fur, but couldn't find any more words to say.

NCIS

David didn't expect to wake up again, much less still in the back seat of the SUV. His headache was worse after his second dose, and he needed more time to shake off the dizziness. The ambient light was moderate but considerably darker than before. He looked out of the opposite window and saw they were inside what may have been an abandoned building. Light shone through a nearby window into the building, and it seemed to be drawing closer to the evening. David grunted as he tried to get up. His hands were still bound.

The man in the front seat was looking at a picture on a small disposable phone, but David couldn't tell what it was from the back seat. The man seemed to have sent it in a message, then began typing on the keypad. Against the white background, David could see the text saying _"Part 1 complete."_ The man in the black coat was still absent.

The man turned around slowly. He had removed his facial covering. His face was slightly scarred with cuts, but otherwise had a very cut and dry feel to it. His stare was one he could only have learned from the military. With one hand he pointed a gun at David, and with the other he presented an open laptop. The laptop had a cable running to the phone, which David assumed fed internet access back to the laptop.

"Finally. Transfer, now," he said gruffly.

David slowly fed his hands through the gap between the front seats and opened the laptop's browser. The man kept his eyes on the browser and made sure David tried no tricks. David did as he was told, and when the screen requested the destination account number, the man took the computer and typed it from memory. David entered the transfer amount and the security pin and submitted the transaction just before quickly closing the browser. He didn't want to risk the man breaking their deal and taking all of David's money before killing him.

The man gave a small chuckle, then re-opened the browser and went to a different site to verify that David's $20,000 transfer was pending as inbound, and David saw on the screen that the $5,000 transfer had just completed.

"Sit back," the man warned.

David obeyed. The man closed the laptop, then started the engine and pulled out of the garage where they were hidden. He started them on the road again, only David didn't recognize where they were. The foliage was similar to the rest of Pennsylvania, and judging by the clock he had been down for almost four hours this time since it was nearly 5 PM. David felt out the situation. If the man allowed him to see his face, that could only mean he was actually going to kill David after the final transfer was made. David couldn't risk going under again. He needed to escape.

He stared intently at the road as they drove, trying to decide when and what to do. David looked around. The area around him was mostly open fields dotted with lines of trees. He'd have to make a run for it through the trees to make sure the man didn't get a shot at him after he escaped. He looked for the opportunity of an oncoming car to grab the wheel and force a crash and have a witness, but the road was empty. Up ahead he saw a small bridge lined by guardrail that kept the road level across small ravine. It would do.

He kept his composure as the moment approached, then lunged forward over the man and grabbed the wheel. His body pinned the man's arms down, and he jerked the wheel hard to the right. Just before impact, David threw himself back, and the SUV slammed into the guardrail. The guardrail buckled and pushed the left side of the vehicle up, rolling it through the air until it crashed to the ground and slid into a tree upside-down. The windows shattered, the airbags deployed, and David held on to the front passenger seat as tightly as he could but was still thrown around.

When the world came to a stop, David lay face-down on the vehicle's ceiling. He felt several battered areas on his body and one long cut on his left arm. The cuts on his chest from ripping out the taser barbs had reopened and he felt the trickling blood. The man appeared to be stunned but stirring. David looked around, and saw the burner phone laying only a foot away from him. He grabbed it, then scrambled out one of the SUV's shattered rear windows. He looked for the best direction to run based on tree density, and ran as fast as he could while maintaining balance with his bound hands.

NCIS

Fornell had greased some wheels to get the charred body rushed down to DC where Ducky lay in wait. He then took a small team of agents up to David's house to track the kidnappers' movements from there. Vance cleared Tony to run Admiral McGee's financials, so Tony sped to the office alongside Gibbs and McGee to do so. He wanted to nail the bastard, even if Vance would only let him do so from behind a desk. When he got to his desk, he noticed a message waiting on his answering machine. It was timestamped 19:45, just after he and McGee left work to go have dinner.

The voice was ragged and out of breath. _"This is… Agent Orion Marks, trying to reach… Very Special Agent DiNozzo. If you could have him call me back at this number, I'd appreciate it… It's a personal matter, best discussed over a secure cell phone."_

Tony recognized David's voice and his pseudonym, and immediately jumped back to the voicemail to play it again and get the number from the ID. _'He's alive! This call was after the explosion!'_ Tony thought to himself. He didn't recognize the number, and wondered why he called him and not Tim's phone.

Tony flew down the stairs to the morgue to find Gibbs and McGee. The elevator was too slow, and this couldn't wait. He stumbled into the morgue only to see McGee, Ducky, and Palmer, but no Gibbs.

"Tony!" McGee dropped down from one of the tables. "What is it?"

Slightly out of breath, Tony gasped, "David. Message. Hurry, we gotta get Gibbs!"

The both sped out of the morgue towards Abby's lab.

Abby was still in her pajamas but wore her lab coat over them as she tapped away at her keyboard. She hadn't said a word to Gibbs since just after he arrived, afraid that the slightest disruption would slow down the process. The room buzzed as Abby's other machines tested the blood sample from Jethro's teeth. They both were startled as Tony and McGee thundered in.

"Gibbs, I think found him, he's alive!" Tony said, before turning back and speeding towards the stairs. Gibbs joined without hesitating.

NCIS

The evening light was fading, and David was lost. He stayed mostly in the trees, but occasionally he had to keep low in a field of grass. He had seen across a field about an hour ago that the man was out of the car and trying to track him. After David was slightly satisfied that he had a moment, he took out one of the taser barbs from his pocked and opened the release on the zip-ties around his hands. It took some time for the circulation to get back to normal, but at least he could steady himself better. It was starting to get cold, and he was wearing only a bloody t-shirt, shorts, and canvas shoes.

He took the phone out of this pocket, then ducked low as he continued through the trees. He still hadn't seen signs of the man in the black coat, but he could only assume that he went back to keep monitoring Tim and his cell phone. And if Tim's father was behind it, David figured that somehow he had the power to have their office phones monitored for activity, too. That meant that he couldn't reach directly out to Tim, he had to get to either Gibbs or Tony at the office and be inconspicuous. Tim said that Tony was out of the field for his arm injury, so Tony became his best bet.

He had memorized the NCIS main number just in case something ever happened to Tim after a case and he couldn't reach his cell. The irony of the situation was not lost on him as he dialed. As he was being transferred from the front desk, he thought about what he could say that would get Tony to call him back using his cell phone in case they were being monitored or if that other guy was tailing Tim. Something only Tony or someone from the team would pick up on. He decided to keep moving to avoid his voice being too easily heard by his pursuer. Tony's voicemail picked up, and David spoke at the beep. He spoke as calmly as he could manage, which between breaths wasn't very well.

"This is… Agent Orion Marks, trying to reach… Very Special Agent DiNozzo. If you could have him call me back at this number, I'd appreciate it… It's a personal matter, best discussed over a secure cell phone."

He hung up the line, hoping Tony would figure it out and that it wouldn't tip off anyone who was listening.

David trod through the trees for hours, occasionally stopping for only a moment. The dark of the night was being replaced by the shining of moonlight. His legs and feet ached, his head pounded, and his ribs cramped from lack of water. David wandered wherever the tree lines took him. He stayed away from the houses and only crossed the streets when necessary. He didn't want to be in the open for long. When he saw that the man in camouflage was getting closer, he sped up his pace while trying to stay ducked down and covered.

Tony played the voicemail again for Gibbs and McGee while McGee booted up the tracking program.

"He's trying to be subtle, thinks we're being tapped," Tony said.

"Or that's what he's been told to say so our phones won't record the ransom demand," Gibbs warned. "Roll with it. Use your cell. McGee, not a word until we verify he's alone."

The phone buzzed in David's pocket which nearly startled him to death. It looked like a DC number, but he wasn't sure if it was Tony or not. He positioned himself behind a large tree and sunk to the ground. He answered the call but didn't speak.

Tony heard the silence, and proceeded to speak first. "This is Very Special Agent DiNozzo," Tony said, trying to remain calm, playing along in case the men were with him. "Is this Agent Orion Marks?"

" _Tony! Oh thank god!"_ David's voice sounded scratchy and panicked.

McGee would've had to grip his desk to prevent himself from snatching the phone out of Tony's hands so he could speak to David, but he diverted every fiber of his being to getting the tracking program to run faster.

Tony's heartbeat picked up. "We found the note, we know what happened. Are they with you now?"

" _No, the one guy had me cuffed, I don't know where the other-"_ his signal crackled for a moment.

"David?!" Tony and McGee said frantically.

McGee's mind was racing. David didn't know where he was, he was alone and afraid. His cell reception could give out at any minute and they'd lose him again. They could hear flickers of David speaking but couldn't make out the words until the signal cleared.

" _\- I escaped. I have no clue where I am, there's forests and fields everywhere. I think he's still after me. I've been running for miles, I can't keep going…"_

The computer finally gave David's location from the phone's GPS. His signal was on the edge of the cell tower's reach, and he was near a lake that was nearly 15 miles from his house.

"Boss!" McGee shouted and pointed at the screen. While Gibbs looked at the screen, McGee lunged over to Tony's desk. "David, David can you hear me?"

" _TIM! Thank god, I was so worried about you. Listen, track this phone's calls – texts. He texted - with this phone, and they wired five grand right there. That – only half of it. He needs – watching you to – rest of the money."_

"And you're sure there's only two of them?" Tony asked.

" _No, but they're – ones I've seen. Listen, I made a payment – account. Check my records and – who they are."_ David's voice sounded shaky.

McGee's panic level was rising as David's signal degraded. The tracking program was having difficulty keeping up.

Gibbs appeared at the desk. "David, listen, there's a lake just to the west of you. Stay near the bridge across it. Tim is here with me, he's safe. Just stay near the lake and the bridge. We're coming for you."

" _I can't stay - the phone, I - after me. Tim - I don't - out of this-"_ the cell was losing reception faster and faster.

"Baby, we're coming, just hold on!" McGee shouted through the static into the phone as he grabbed his gear bag from his desk.

" _I - "_ The line cut off. The computer recorded the last location, but the phone was out of range and could no longer be tracked.

"DiNozzo, you and Abby run David's accounts." Gibbs ran at full speed to match McGee down the stairs.

"On it boss."

The phone beeped in David's ear telling him he had no signal. Another branch snapped, and David closed his eyes and quietly said, "I would've said yes," then he kicked off from the tree and bolted forward.


	12. Chapter 12

NCIS

Abby and Tony sat at her desk after McGee and Gibbs left. Tony messaged the address to McGee, then called Fornell's team and updated them.

" _Agent DiNozzo?"_ Fornell answered.

"Fornell, we have David's location. Octoraro Lake, near Oxford, Pennsylvania. You need to get there fast but quietly. One of the kidnappers is still after him, and we're not sure about the other."

" _Admiral still the prime?"_

"I'm about to find out, but if it is we don't want him being spooked. Gibbs and McGee are on their way. Keep everything very low-key. No reporters." He disconnected the call.

He and Abby plugged in David's information and retrieved his account, along with the destination account for David's transfer. The account held multiple transfers in amounts ranging from $10,000-30,000 for the last three years. The kidnappers had been busy.

Gibbs raced up the highway with McGee in the passenger seat. McGee changed into his black NCIS coat and hat while they drove. Even though he technically wasn't allowed to be investigating, he wanted to be in uniform for while they looked for David. Gibbs was not about to try and stop him.

Gibbs' phone rang. He handed it to McGee, who put it on speaker.

"Tony, what did you find?" McGee asked.

" _We got an entire hit-list ledger. The account belongs to a man named Oren Bearse. He's ex-military, works for a private security company, and fits the description of our leading guy in the video. Ducky got the body and the blood matched the sample from Jethro's bite. The dead guy's name is Michael Muldoon, who works for the same company. The explosion didn't kill him, either. Ducky says he was tapped in the head from behind."_

"What about the payments?" Gibbs asked.

" _The accounts are taking a while, the money's been transferred and separated too well to be directly linked to the Admiral. They'll take time, but Bearse's burner phone log gave us the phone number where the messages were going. It's a DC number, activated last year."_

"Wait… that's before I even _met_ David, at least in person. So this isn't my father?" McGee asked.

"Not necessarily, he could still be the client," Gibbs said.

" _That's not all. David mentioned this but the texts confirm it, they need to watch McGee and make sure that he's not investigating. They're only on the first stage of whatever job this is. The other phone's off right now, so we can't trace it. But what's odd is that according to the texts they were only supposed to rough up David and hold onto him, not kill him."_

"So blowing up David's house and was off-script," McGee deduced.

Abby spoke up from the background, _"Bearse had to have known we'd get blood from Jethro's bite wound and ID Muldoon. He was cleaning up after himself, trying to destroy the body so it would look like David killed Muldoon and was on the run of his own accord."_

Tony continued, _"Has to be, because without David alive he doesn't get the rest of his money."_

"We can use that to test if my father was really involved. If he thinks David is dead, he'll cut any ties to the company. If someone like Sarah calls him and tells him David is just gone, he'll deliver the rest of the money." McGee said.

"DiNozzo, update Fornell's team and tell them we'll be there in just a few minutes, then contact West Grove PD and tell them to not to disclose to anything about the explosion. Any inquiries go to us so we can control when the client finds out the kidnapping failed. The cover needs to be maintained for us to smoke them out."

NCIS

David could see the moonlight reflecting off of the surface of the long, winding lake. He found himself at one of its far edges. Over the distance, he could see where the bridge crossed over the middle of one of the lake's narrow sections. He slowly made his way around the lake, trying to keep just inside the tree line. He had lost sight of Bearse almost half an hour ago, but he could not afford any more close calls.

He looked through the trees towards the bridge, but a sudden glint of reflected moonlight caught his attention. He inched forward, then saw a shadow come out from behind a tree. He dove behind the nearest tree as the muzzle flashed and the gunshot shattered the silence of the night. David felt the wind of the bullet but didn't feel any pain of contact. The ground crunched with rapidly approaching footsteps, and David took off going to his left, away from the lake but around his attacker. Two more gunshots rang in his ears, and he ducked from side to side. As he passed a larger tree, he missed a large root sticking out of the ground and his right foot twisted to the side, sending a surge of pain up his leg. He fell forward and rolled against the tree, trying to get out of sight. As he stood up, he saw cones of light from distant flashlights coming over a hill near the bridge.

The sound of footsteps alerted him to the coming danger. He saw the gun come around the tree before he saw the attacker. He anchored himself with his left foot, then with his left arm he swiped Bearse's arms upward, pointing the gun away, and then in the same motion with all his strength he hooked his right fist up into the man's jaw. Bearse was lifted upward off his feet with the impact and spiraled onto his back. The gun was just out of his reach, and David kicked it away painfully with his injured foot while his left kept him steady. Bearse barely stood before he tackled David and slammed him against the tree. David wrestled with Bearse, and with a grunt he pushed off of the tree to take them both to the ground. David landed and quickly put his knee over Bearse's back and grabbed his right arm as he tried to scramble back up.

"This is for Jethro, asshole," David said and roughly twisted Bearse's arm back further than his bones allowed.

The pop of Bearse's shoulder dislocating was audible for only a fraction of a second before his resonating scream drowned it out. David fell back, and looked around to find the gun. He saw the glint of metal, and crawled for it. Bearse rolled himself over and stood himself up, then looked around to find David just wrapping his hand around the gun. Bearse sprung on David, planting his foot firmly on David's wrist and his knee on David's back. David tried to keep a firm hold on the gun, but the pain and pressure on his wrist was forcing it open. Bearse pressed his hand over David's mouth, hooked his left arm around David's neck and began to squeeze.

David wheezed as he tried to yell, but the pressure on his throat and the hand over his mouth made it impossible. His vision blurred and his head was screaming in pain from the lack of oxygen. His chest threatened to cave under the other man's weight crushing him into the ground. His vision was going dark as he felt rapid pounding on the ground, but just before darkness closed around him he heard a large impact above him and was spun around as Bearse's body was pulled off of his.

" _David!_ " The voice calling his name sounded fuzzy and far away.

David coughed repeatedly trying to let air through to his lungs. His bruised body sent jolts of pain throughout as he coughed, but he had no control over it. His vision was still blurred, but lights flashed around him in the dark and he saw a few blurred figures kneeling over another blurred figure. One of the kneeling figures rushed over to him and laid gentle hands on his face and arms.

"David, come on baby, stay with me," the soft voice became clearer and louder, and David identified it as Tim's. "He's bleeding, where's the paramedic?"

David choked out a relieved sob and latched his hands tightly on anything of McGee that he could get. FBI agents swarmed around them as McGee held David, who was now shaking in his arms and still struggling to get his breath back. Gibbs and Fornell pulled Bearse to his feet and handed him off to a pair of FBI agents. McGee had agents shine light on David and sat him up so he could quickly check for injuries once the paramedic arrived. McGee frantically searched around David's body for any signs of gunshot wounds. David tried to pull him close again, and had tears streaming down his dirty and bruised face.

"It's ok, it's ok, I'm right here. Where are you hurt?" McGee said, brushing tears off of David's cheek with his gloved fingers.

"Everywhere," David weakly replied. He was dazed, his voice was raw and cracked, and he shivered in the cold.

"Get him some water," McGee ordered to an agent. He pulled off his jacket and wrapped David in it. McGee's stomach was in knots as his eyes found more and more wounds on David's head and body.

David winced in pain as the medic tried to clean the cuts on his head. After putting a couple of butterfly bandages on David's forehead, the medic tenderly felt his swollen ankle.

"His ankle's sprained, but not broken from what I can tell. I'm going to start wrapping it but it's going to hurt," the medic warned.

McGee looked down at David and took his hand. "It's going to be ok, baby. It's going to hurt, but I'm here. It's ok. Just take some deep breaths for me, ok?"

David nodded and started steadying his breathing. Gibbs came over to examine the scene.

"David, we'll need your clothes and that phone for evidence."

"Here," David replied weakly through the pain. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and shakily handed it to Gibbs. Gibbs slipped it into an evidence bag.

The medic finished wrapping David's foot and said, "We have extra clothes in the ambulance. If we can get him there, you can bag the clothes."

"David, do you think you can walk?" McGee looked down with concern.

"I… I think so…" he muttered.

"Boss," McGee looked up at Gibbs, who reached down and took one of David's arms over his shoulders.

Together they both lifted David up. He groaned in pain, but with their support he was steady and he hopped on one leg with them out of the woods to the convoy of cars. As they walked, Gibbs pulled out his phone and called Tony.

" _Boss?"_ Tony said expectantly.

"DiNozzo, we got him."

Tony yelled out a cheer and Abby squealed with relief in the background.

"Drop off some extra clothes for David at my house, then tell everyone to go home. We'll meet in the morning."

" _Sure thing, Boss."_

McGee's heart was leaping out of his chest for finding David, but was simultaneously crushed to see him in this condition. David changed out of his dirty, bloodied clothes in the privacy of the ambulance and was given sweatpants and a shirt by the medic. Afterwards, he sat on the tailgate of the ambulance so he could speak to Gibbs and Fornell while the medic continued to bandage him. McGee never left his side. He kept David's right hand held securely in his own, and except for his bandaged left arm David still wore McGee's jacket for physical and emotional comfort.

"Is Jethro ok?" David asked McGee.

"He's fine, just a broken leg. Ducky already has it in a cast," McGee answered softly.

"What's the first thing you remember after you left the apartment?" Gibbs asked.

David was still sorting out the insanity of the past day in his mind, so the question took him a moment. "We walked out to this black SUV. I'm pretty sure it was a Chevy Tahoe, newer year. Once I got to the back door they opened it and put a rag over my face and I passed out. When I woke up, it was me and that guy-" he gestured to the squad car holding Bearse "-on the highway. The other guy was driving my car just ahead of us. They had my hands in zip-ties."

Tim squeezed David's hand at the thought.

"Where were you going?" Gibbs continued.

"Back to my condo. I recognized the signs on the road. It was about two hours since we had left."

"How did you escape?"

"I got him to tell me how much he was being paid and offered him double. He put me under again just as we got to my house. When I woke up again, we were in some kind of garage. I don't know where. He had me transfer the money online, but he had his mask off so I knew I wasn't just walking away. He started driving again, and I grabbed the wheel and made us crash. I don't remember what time it was, but I grabbed the phone and started running."

"So you didn't see or hear what happened at your house?" Fornell asked.

"No, I never even got out of the car. I never saw the other guy again, I thought he went back to DC to keep an eye on Tim. Did you find him? Did you find who hired them?"

"We found the other guy, Michael Muldoon, in your house. He was shot in the head," Gibbs answered. "Your house was destroyed in a gas explosion. Bearse used it to make it look like you disappeared and to sever his link with Muldoon. It didn't end up destroying the body enough, though."

David's eyes widened in shock and his grip on Tim's hand increased. Gibbs observed his reaction. "But why? This whole thing is messed up," David said exhaustedly.

McGee chimed in, "I think it mainly went sideways when Jethro attacked Muldoon. If that hadn't happened, there wouldn't have been any trace as to who they were. Bearse had to improvise and get rid of anything pointing to him. He probably thought he could handle you himself, and was wrong about that too."

"They work for a private security company. Not the brightest, but the easiest to get ahold of," Gibbs added. "Why did you specifically call DiNozzo instead of alerting the police?"

"I thought the other guy was watching Tim, and they had already threatened to kill him. I was worried that they were tapping his cell phone and the office phones, and they'd go after him if I escaped."

"It doesn't work like that," McGee said. "We're the investigators. We can tap their phones but not the other way around."

"I'm sorry," David lowered his head. "I didn't mean to make it more difficult. I had hoped that the note would help and when Tony called me on his cell it wouldn't be too late and he'd be able to warn you."

"No, no, don't be," McGee put his other hand gently around theirs and squeezed. "You did the right thing. You thought everything through before you acted, and now we got you."

David stared nervously at the ground, then looked back up at Gibbs and asked, "So what happens now?"

"You'll have to stay under guard until we positively identify the client," Gibbs said. "Now that you're safe and our kidnappers are on ice, we can take a breather and continue this in the morning. McGee's apartment is still a crime scene until this is over, so you can stay with me."

"Do you know who hired them?"

"No, but the Admiral is still our primary suspect. Tony and Abby are looking through his financials now before we bring him in for questioning."

David looked up at them. "Thank you, all of you, for finding me. I know it couldn't have been easy this late and running with one person down. I can't believe you all got this involved for me." 

Gibbs said with a smirk, "We don't leave team members behind."

David nodded, but McGee recognized the look on David's face. Everything about the situation was starting to hit him, and it was hitting hard. David's hands slightly shook, and his chin was quivering. He was trying to keep a face for Gibbs and Fornell, but it wouldn't last much longer.

McGee looked up. "Boss, before we go, can David and I have a minute?"

Gibbs nodded, and he and Fornell started walking back to their cars. "Thank you, Tobias," he said quietly.

"Don't mention it. You must really like this kid to call in a favor from me."

"He's important to McGee, and McGee's part of my team."

Fornell smiled. "Do you always say team when you mean family?"

Gibbs shrugged and gave a silent half-smile back.

"So what's your next move?"

"We have to check out the company, see if this was tasked by them or if they're being hired from outside of their company. Right now the only person that has any reason to want David gone is the Admiral. We'll have to test him and bring him in, and see what happens when the other phone powers on."

"It can't be easy. Where's Ziva? You mentioned before that she's gone."

"Israel, sorting things out. She'll be back soon enough." Gibbs said. "Bring Bearse to Bethesda to be treated under guard, then we'll pick him up in the morning for interrogation. I'll try to convince Vance to let McGee back into the field now that we have David under protection."

"Even if it is his father you're up against?"

"Won't be a problem. McGee will be thorough for David's sake, regardless of who's behind it. We should be fine on our own after that."

Fornell nodded, "Good. I'm sleeping in after this crap." After a few minutes, he turned back to look across the distance at David and McGee. Surprised, he whispered over to Gibbs, "Is McGee doing what I think he's doing?"

Gibbs turned to look, then shrugged. "We should know. We've both done it before."

"You more than me," Fornell nudged.


	13. Chapter 13

NCIS

After applying one last bandage to David's arm, the medic stood up and gave Tim and David some space. As they sat on the ambulance's tailgate, David looked up at Tim. His eyes welled, and Tim swooped in without a word. He squeezed David's hand harder, and David pressed himself against Tim's chest. Tim cupped David's head and held him close, but tried not to grip too hard because David's entire body looked like it hurt. David shook in his arms and gently sobbed against Tim's shirt, releasing all of the pent up exhaustion, adrenaline, and fear that he held in constant overload over the last day. Tim kissed David's head, and a couple of his own tears fell. Parts of David's body met the contact with pain, but David didn't care.

"I'm sorry," David said, "It's just… I can't believe all this happened. I mean, yeah I've been through something like this before, but… I was ready then. I wasn't this time."

"I know, baby. Let it out, it's ok. I'm just so glad you're safe. I was so scared when I heard the gunshots," Tim whispered.

David nodded silently, and Tim gently rubbed his back through the jacket. Their hands gripped each other so tight they were shaking.

' _Now,'_ a voice called from inside Tim.

"I just want it to be over," David said weakly. "I don't even know where to begin with my house."

"Don't worry about that now, we'll get it all sorted out when this case is solved. All that matters right now is you and that you're safe. And I'm going to keep you safe, I promise."

It took David a few minutes to calm down, but he was still shaky as he spoke. "What about you? Are you ok?"

Tim looked at him in amazement. "You've just been kidnapped, you've been running for your life for hours, and you're asking me if I'm alright?"

"Hey, you did just save my life," David said as he nuzzled against Tim. His breath was going back to normal now that the stress was released. "The least I can do is make sure that my Knight in Shining Dark Blue Bulletproof Armor is ok."

' _NOW!'_ the voice inside Tim said louder. His heart thumped in his chest.

"I'm glad the note helped as much as it did," David said.

"You were amazing. Rule 16. Tony and I instantly knew something was wrong. Between that, Jethro's injuries and the video, we got the whole team involved to find you in a matter of minutes."

"Video? They sent video of me too?"

"No, no… I'm sorry, I never got around to telling you when you moved in. I have a security camera hidden in the bookshelf in the apartment. It showed us everything that happened. I completely forgot about it until this happened."

David smiled sleepily. "My _Secret Agent_ McGee," he said, and leaned his head against Tim's shoulder.

"No," Tim said, feeling the mixture of emotions stirring within him. He put his hand on David's cheek and brushed some of the dirt off with his thumb. "I don't want to be a secret, I don't want there to be secrets between us."

"It's ok," David said, looking up into Tim's eyes. "Not like I didn't leave something out during the move-in process trying to surprise you. I'm glad this at least helped. I still can't believe you even got the FBI to come looking for me. You charged to my rescue again. My Superman," David smiled softly. Even in this state, David's smile lit up Tim's insides.

' _NOW, DAMMIT! DO IT NOW!'_ his heart pounded at him.

' _There's no way he'd say yes right now! He was just kidnapped!'_ his brain argued.

' _YOU JUST SAVED HIS LIFE, HE CALLED YOU A HERO! THERE IS LITERALLY NO BETTER TIME!'_ his heart slammed back.

' _If you really want to marry him,'_ Penny's voice flowed through his mind, _'then that's reason enough to ask, dear.'_

' _I don't even have the ring!'_ his brain said.

' _IMPROVISE!'_ his heart yelled.

Tim looked David in the eyes. "David, I…" he searched for the words, "When I thought I had lost you, my whole w-world was just gone. I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe, I…" he stuttered, and looked at the ground. He looked up, and just to the right of the ambulance was a patch of tall grass at the edge of the field. His brain lit up with an idea. He quickly reached over and gave David a quick kiss on the head and said, "Wait right here."

Tim walked away towards a patch of tall grass, picked out the tallest blade, and started fiddling with it in his hands while he walked back. David looked confused, but bundled up tighter in the coat and waited. Tim walked back up to David with his hand closed.

"David, I've thought of thousands of different ways I've wanted this moment to go, and I can tell you right now that this was not what I had planned. An ambulance, a field, you being kidnapped and injured… It's not even close, but I just realized how much I don't care. I have to say this to you now or I'll regret it. I've- I've lived my life entirely planned out and predictable. Then you showed up, and I realized just how much I was planning myself out of actually living my life. Ever since our lives have been entwined I've never felt more alive and free, and I want to make you feel the same way." His breath caught in his throat, and he slowly bent down onto one knee.

David's hand slowly went over his mouth and his breath quickened.

Tim continued, "I never imagined in thirty-one years that anyone could show me as much love as you have in only one. I never knew what it felt like to love someone as strongly as I love you and to feel so complete by just knowing you're somewhere near. You've shown time and again that you'd be willing to do anything for me, no matter the cost. I've never felt so protected by anyone, and I've never wanted to protect anyone as much as you. I never want us to stop feeling this way, and I never want to stop being _your_ Timothy McGee."

Tim opened his hand and showed David the green and brown blade of grass twisted and woven around into a ring. David let out a choked laugh and grinned behind his hand. Tim smiled nervously.

"You once told me that when this moment came I wouldn't have to guess your answer," Tim said. "But still, someone as amazing as you deserves to hear the question. David Michael O'Malley," Tim paused and looked deeply into his eyes. "Will you marry me?"

David laughed into his hand, tears streamed from his eyes, and he nodded his head and said, "Yes!"

Tim's heart lifted his entire body up to meet David's as they embraced, holding each other tightly. Every muscle in David's body would've protested after the abuse they had previously endured, but for this moment they were all silently working their hardest. Tim pulled his head back and ran his hand up behind David's neck, and then pulled him in for a long, slow kiss. They weren't in front of a squad of FBI agents, they weren't on the tailgate of an ambulance, and they weren't even in their own bodies anymore for that perfect moment.

As they came back down into themselves, Tim realized he was still holding the makeshift ring and never gave it to David. Still staying closely pressed to him, Tim pulled back just enough so he could take David's left hand and slide the ring over his finger. David chuckled lightly as it went on. Tim sat down and looked back into David's sparkling eyes.

"I have a real ring, I promise. I just left it at the office so you wouldn't find it at home."

David looked at the grass wrapped around his finger, then back up into Tim's glowing green eyes. "I don't care. I love it, and I love you," David whispered. He reached up and kissed Tim again with a broad smile. "But to think, you went to all that trouble sizing my finger."

Tim's jaw dropped in surprise, but the corners of his mouth refused to stop smiling. "You knew?!"

"Well, since there are no more secrets, yes. I heard you start to ask that one night," David teased with a small laugh, which quickly turned into a sharp intake of breath as he became painfully aware of his bruised torso again.

"Shh…" Tim soothed. "Come here." He held David softly and kissed his head again.

"But yeah," David slowly continued, "I wasn't sure what you were up to until I got a glimpse of the paper on my finger."

Tim chuckled. "Why didn't you say anything?"

David smiled and shrugged. "I didn't want to ruin it. It's the first time anyone's proposed to me."

"Really? That was a first for you? I thought…"

"Well, last time it wasn't exactly a proposal, more like a 'Let's do it!' kind of thing. I've never even _seen_ a real live proposal until now."

Tim groaned and rubbed his face with his hand. "Dammit, I'm sorry, I had a whole thing planned out for our anniversary, and-"

"No," David interrupted and put a finger over Tim's lips, "this was perfect. I wouldn't change a thing."

"You sure?"

"Promise." He smiled and pulled Tim in for another soft kiss.

Gibbs and Fornell had flipped a coin to see who would have to go and break up the tender moment, and Fornell lost. He slowly and hesitantly approached them, and cleared his throat to announce his presence. Tim turned to see him but never released David's hand.

"Much as I hate to do this, it's very late and we need to get David back to DC tonight for a full debriefing in the morning."

"Come on," Tim said as he stood up and helped David up.

David was given his shoes back after they had been swabbed and printed, but with his injured foot he could only wear his left shoe. In the absence of crutches, he had to hop over to the car while using Tim as a support. Tim and David both got into the back of the sedan, and Gibbs made no sound or move to object. He looked in the rear-view mirror as he started the car. David curled up to Tim's left arm and laid his head down on Tim's shoulder. Tim tilted his own down to meet it. Gibbs looked proudly at them both and drove off.

NCIS

Tim napped briefly on drive down to DC, but his mind was otherwise occupied by planning how to catch his father. David, however, seemed dead to the world. Bumps and turns in the road never got him to budge from his spot on Tim's shoulder. Gibbs left a voicemail with Vance giving him an update. It was around 4 AM when they pulled into Gibbs' driveway, and Tony and Abby were waiting inside.

Tony winced at seeing David's injuries, but was too tired himself to come up with any quips. Gibbs immediately showed Tim and David to the upstairs guest room, and he brought down sheets so he could sleep down on the couch. While David took an overdue shower, the rest of them congregated downstairs in Gibbs' living room. Tony pulled out the clothes he managed to find for David out of his backpack.

"Ducky and Palmer gave me a set of scrubs in his size," Tony said, handing over the clothes to Tim. "I also got a couple shirts and a set of overalls, but couldn't find anything else."

Tim lowered his voice and whispered, "And the other thing I texted you about?"

"Oh, you mean _this_?" Tony said loudly as he held up a small wooden box and kept it just out of Tim's reach.

Abby's eyes went wide in excited surprise, and she snatched the box from Tony's hand. She quickly checked to make sure she could still hear David in the shower so she wouldn't risk him seeing it, then she opened the box to view the ring inside.

"Ooooooooh!" she gasped. "Shiny, McGee! This is so exciting!" She snapped the box shut, ran over to Tim and gave him a tight squeeze. She dropped her voice and quietly asked, "When are you asking him?"

He took the box from her and put it in his pocket. "I already did."

Abby raised an eyebrow at him. "What? When? Without the ring?"

"Just after we rescued him and got him bandaged up, pretty much as soon as we had a moment alone. I didn't plan it, it just felt like the right time. I made a ring out of some grass right there and gave it to him."

Abby shot Tony a look, and they synchronously head-smacked Tim.

"What?!" Tim asked with an annoyed look as he rubbed the back of his head. "He loved it! He said yes!"

Abby's jaw dropped but the corners of her mouth pulled it back up into a wide smile. "Wait, REALLY?!"

" _McGoo's_ getting _McMarried_?" Tony said in surprise. "Not a chance, no way David said yes after everything that's just happened! Boss did you-"

"Yep," Gibbs interrupted, not looking up from fitting the couch with the sheet.

"And he-?"

"You deaf, DiNozzo?" Gibbs replied.

Tony's confused look turned into a smile. "My Probie's growing up!"

Abby's speech was so rapid that Tim barely understood it. "Oh my god Timmy that's so great! I'm so happy for you!"

At that moment Tim heard the shower shut off. He grabbed a fresh ice pack from Gibbs' freezer and went to bring it and the new clothes upstairs for David. He could hear Tony and Abby still discussing the engagement but in hushed tones. Once David finished drying off, he wrapped the towel around his waist. Tim helped him limp over to the bedroom and sat him back on the bed. David looked through the clothes while Tim wrapped the new ice pack around his ankle in the compression wrap.

"Really? Nurse scrubs and mechanics overalls? Are you sure these came from NCIS and not the naughty side of Tony's closet?"

Tim laughed, "You know, I never thought of these clothes that way when I was actually wearing them. You, on the other hand, filled out the overalls nicely when you wore them."

David slipped the top of the bluish-green scrubs on, and with an enticing look said, "I may just have to hold on to these for when I'm all healed up. I can definitely see us working some roleplay."

Tim smiled and looked up at him after sliding the pants up David's legs. "You're amazing. After everything that's happened you're still able to make jokes and you're even making me laugh, and I've been a wreck all night."

"I'm trying not to think about it," David said, his smile faltering. "I really don't know how well I'm going to sleep tonight. In the car I just passed out from exhaustion, but now I don't know. But just having you here makes me feel better. Not to mention this," he looked down at the damp grass ring.

"Oh, that reminds me." Tim sat down next to David on the bed. He pulled out the small wooden box from his pocket and handed it to him. "Open it."

David smiled in anticipation, and slowly opened the box to see the shining platinum ring inside. His jaw dropped as he admired it.

"Look on the inside," Tim said excitedly.

David picked up the ring and turned the wide band it until he saw _'ScruffyLookin'_ engraved in script on the inside. David burst out laughing and leaned into Tim's chest. He winced slightly in pain from laughing too hard but it was worth it. Tim slid the grass ring off of David's finger and replaced it with the perfectly-fitting metal ring, then he brought the hand up to his lips to kiss it before rubbing it with his thumb.

"I first saw it in L.A.," Tim said. "Knew I'd never settle for anything less for you. I had one of their DC branches make it."

"I love it, thank you," David said. He kissed Tim then laid back down on his chest. "I hope there's a way to save the grass one, though. There's something to be said for the ring you literally made during your proposal."

"I'll figure something out," Tim said before kissing the top of David's head. "So you were playing a trick on me that night I was measuring you with all the hand sliding and the tossing and turning?"

David returned a coy smile, "Maybe."

"Well, I guess I deserved it. I never told you about this other thing that happened with work a few weeks ago. I was at a women's prison and this riot broke out."

David's smile dropped and his eyes widened.

"I mean, it turned out ok, obviously. I talked my way into negotiating for the prisoners, and only got maced once."

David put his hand up to Tim's cheek and stroked it, but his face was dumbstruck. "Oh, _only_ once?" he asked sarcastically. "Well, at least you weren't tasered like me. I swear I could still power a toaster."

"No, that had already happened to me from that case at Christmas."

David's jaw dropped. "Oh my god. Wait, Christmas? Is that why Tony kept making all those 'shocking' jokes and you kept elbowing him during the movie?! Aw man, now I'm really glad I punched him!"

It was Tim's turn to be shocked. "Wait, _you_ punched Tony? That's where that huge bruise came from last month?"

David closed his eyes and grimaced into Tim's shirt. "Ehhh crap, I promised I wouldn't tell…"

"No, no, I've gotta hear this one," Tim laughed as he stroked David's arm. "I promise, I won't be mad and I won't tell him that I know. That bruise gave me inspiration and entertainment for days."

"Ok, well you know I had sold the Mustang, right? Well it happened when you were in L.A. and the buyer was in DC. Tony saw me with the guy buying it and thought I was having an affair with him because the guy paid for my dinner too. Tony punched me a couple of times, but I got him good across the face and he dropped like a rock."

"He didn't!"

"I took him home and got him cleaned up, and we made up after I explained everything. That's also why I didn't come down that weekend. I had a couple of bruises of my own and didn't want you to worry, plus I was still finishing up with the realtor."

Tim laughed then pulled David close. "Come here, you." They nuzzled quietly for a few minutes, then Tim said, "So is that it? Any more sordid secrets I should know about?"

"That's all I've got, what about you? Any more work-related injuries you're not telling me about?"

"Nothing really major. Most of my stuff's related to a case, so I have to be careful when talking about it. I did have a stalker once create crime scenes based on a book I was writing. That was when I decided to get that camera installed."

"Well you know you're not a successful writer until _that_ happens," David joked.

"Then there was the time Tony nearly gave us all the plague, but I'll let him tell you that one."

David was silent for a few minutes, then quietly asked, "A lot's going to happen in the morning, isn't it?"

"Yeah. But don't worry, baby. I've got you."

They slowly settled down on the bed for what could only be a few hours of sleep.

NCIS

As David feared, he didn't manage to get to sleep. He had time to think, which after the day he had was not good. He usually had trouble sleeping in unfamiliar places unless he was too tired to care. Tim was asleep after about a half hour of being on the bed with David. David thought he heard some kind of rubbing noise from somewhere in the house, but wasn't sure what it was. After realizing he wasn't going to get any more sleep, he slipped out of bed and gently crept downstairs. He put as little weight on his right foot as possible, but it was difficult to get down staircases without using both feet at some point.

When he didn't see Gibbs on the couch downstairs and didn't see Tony or Abby, he listened for the rubbing again and followed it to the basement where he saw a light was still on. When he got to the basement stairs, he saw Gibbs hand-sanding the skeleton-like frame of what would eventually be a small boat.

"I figured you meant it when you said you build boats at the end of the day, I just never pictured you doing it inside," David said from the top of the stairs.

Gibbs smirked and looked up. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Not a wink," David said as he eased himself down the staircase. "Glad Tim's getting some though."

Gibbs went over to his workbench and dumped a glass of nails out on it. He cleaned out the glass with a rag, then put in a splash of scotch and brought it over to David. "This usually helps me."

David chuckled and took the glass. He took a small sip, and a shudder ran through him. "Damn, I don't think I'll need any antibiotics for my cuts. This stuff could sterilize me."

Gibbs noticed the shining metal band on David's finger, then smiled and went back to sanding. "I see the grass didn't last long."

"I could've kept it for a couple of days, but Tim put a lot into getting this one. It's a bit more permanent too, so it's fitting."

"Would it have fit before yesterday?"

David smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. I caught him measuring my finger one night. It was the happiest I had felt in a long time."

"So you're ready to marry McGee?"

David stared at the wood for a minute, then looked back at Gibbs. "I don't know. I guess yes and no. I'm not ready right this second, but I want to be. I'm ready to make the effort to be. There's still a lot for us to sort out, but I couldn't imagine trying with anyone but him."

"Good answer," Gibbs said and he slid the sand paper across the wood.

David took another small sip. "It's funny. He's the one who asked me to marry him, but I still feel like I should ask your permission."

Gibbs chuckled. "You don't have to."

"Maybe not, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't."

Gibbs looked up and saw that David's look was genuine. He set down the sandpaper and walked over to stand a few feet from David. He then gave him a waiting look.

"Gibbs," David looked Gibbs straight in the eyes as he spoke, "may I have your permission to marry Tim?"

Gibbs put his hands on David's shoulders. "You promise to treat him right? To take care of him? It's not going to be easy."

"I promise, Gibbs. I know it won't be easy, but he's worth it. He's everything to me."

Gibbs smiled and pulled him in for a tight hug, then slapped him on the back a couple of times. "Good. Now go get some sleep." He took the glass from David's hand and set it on the workbench, then went back to sanding quietly.

David smiled broadly and hobbled up the stairs. Before leaving, he turned back at the top of the steps. "Just out of curiosity, how are you going to get the boat out when it's done?"

"Good night, kid," Gibbs said with a smile as he kept sanding.


	14. Chapter 14

NCIS

David never did manage to get to sleep, but as ordered by Gibbs he went back to bed anyway and slipped one of Tim's arms over himself as he rested. The sips of scotch had calmed him a bit, and sunrise came quickly. Tim helped him down the stairs and into the car, and Gibbs drove them to get breakfast at a diner on the way into work. David hadn't felt hungry once during the whole ordeal yesterday, but once he smelled the bacon coming from the kitchen he was ravenous. As they ate, Tim called Palmer and asked him to meet them outside NCIS with a set of crutches for David so he could get around freely. Tony was in the squad room at his desk waiting for them when they came in.

"Hey," he said from his desk.

"Hey Tony," David said as he went over to McGee's desk and sat at its edge facing the rest of the room. He spent a minute trying to find a way to lean the crutches against the desk without them sliding off.

"What did you find?" McGee asked.

"No investigating, McGee. You're still barred," Gibbs said from his desk. "What do we have, DiNozzo?"

"Still no sign of the client's phone," he said. "Abby's finished with David's clothes and Bearse's gun, now we're working through the company's accounts to see if we can get a clearer link to the Admiral."

"You were here all night, Tony?" McGee asked.

"It was only a few hours. It was just easier to stay up," Tony replied. "We know the Admiral spent more than enough to cover the $10,000, but once we have the link, that'll at least be enough to bring them in while we check to see exactly where he skimmed off the money for the hit."

"Guys," David interrupted and pointed at the TV between Tony and McGee's desks. A news report from ZNN was on about the explosion of David's condo.

Gibbs looked up from his desk at Tony.

"Dammit! I told them to keep it under wraps!" Tony said.

McGee walked over to the TV and said, "Let's see what they're saying. If they mention David then it could tip off our client." He unmuted the TV.

" _-Grove, Pennsylvania. The explosion seems to have occurred from a gas leak, and destroyed the end unit and seriously damaged the unit next to it. Officials haven't released any further details on the explosion or if there were any injuries or fatalities, but local sources told reporters that the condo belonged to a local bakery owner who had recently listed the condo for sale but has not been heard from since yesterday morning."_

"How long will the accounts take, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"A few hours, but if the client's phone is already gone then this is our only option."

"We may not have a few hours. The report's too close for comfort. If the client realizes the first team failed, they'll either try again or destroy any link between them and disappear. Get the trace on the Admiral's phone. McGee, get Vance to Interrogation." Gibbs got up and strode to the elevator.

NCIS

Bearse sat at the table in Interrogation with a defiant look on his face. His right arm was in a sling. Gibbs walked through the door and tossed a file onto the table before casually sitting down.

"Does your job normally assign you kidnapping cases?" Gibbs asked.

Bearse looked away.

"Who paid you to kidnap O'Malley if not the company?"

Bearse still said nothing.

"We know you and Muldoon worked together, and that you weren't the only ones involved."

Bearse's eyes twitched towards Gibbs then quickly turned away.

"Did you kill him just to get more money out of the job? Or just to try and save your sorry ass?"

Gibbs observed keenly as Bearse's neck tensed at the questions. He started warming up his Gibbs Stare.

"I guess whoever set you up to fail is taking your share, too."

Bearse's eyes flickered. He finally spoke, "I know I'm going away, and we were the only two. So quit wasting your breath."

Gibbs' stood and leaned over the table, giving the man his signature ice-cold stare. "You're getting the death penalty. Arson, kidnapping, attempted murder, and murder. The only way you're just 'going away' is by cooperating. Otherwise, you're just as dead as Muldoon."

"I didn't kill him! He was never supposed to die!" Bearse blurted out.

"Then who did?"

Bearse tightened his lips. "No. I lied. I did."

"I don't think so," Gibbs said as he stood up and left the room. Vance exited Observation at the same time and caught up to him.

"Gibbs, what's your next move?"

"The Admiral's still our prime suspect as the client. With all my team sidelined, I can't sit waiting for research to be done. Whether by arrest or by cooperation, he's coming in.

"Do you have any other link?"

"I have enough to bring him in for questioning. Give me McGee and we can have more."

Vance considered silently for a moment. "Will he be unbiased?"

"David's safe, so the main leverage against him is gone. He can do this."

"I'll think about it."

They went straight for the bullpen, and Gibbs was intercepted by a frantic Abby when he got there.

"Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!"

"What do you got, Abbs?"

"I got our link!" she yelled as she ducked behind David and sat at McGee's desk. She typed frantically at his computer and a series of accounts and a profile came up on the screen. "James Connelly. He works for the same security company as Bearse and Muldoon, and he served with Lieutenant Carlton Mane, the Admiral's aide."

"Mane probably heard about our confrontation from Dad and offered outside services to help correct it. If Dad was so concerned about us ruining his reputation, he might just try to save it."

"There's more," she said. "He works part time as a waiter at Charlie Palmer's, the same place that Admiral McGee frequents for dinner." She clicked a few buttons and multiple purchases highlighted on his accounts.

"That's where we met him," McGee added. "He could've given Connelly the go-ahead after the dinner didn't go his way."

"What about payment?" Vance asked.

"The payment to Bearse's account came from Connelly's, but that money came from several cash deposits from separate accounts. No direct link to the Admiral financially, but we've got them connected through Mane by association."

"So the phone we're looking for isn't the client's, it's either Connelly's or Mane's," Tony said. "They're the go-betweens from the Admiral to Bearse and Muldoon."

"There was a third player at David's house that killed Muldoon," Gibbs said. "Bearse spilled in interrogation, but wouldn't say who it was."

"It was most likely Connelly, then," Tony said. "Bearse would cover up for someone he liked, not someone he didn't know like the Admiral or Mane."

"Something's not right, though," McGee said, "no one as decorated as Dad would openly seek that kind of service where he could so easily be identified. Most likely the dealings would've had to go through Mane."

"Abby, keep looking for Connelly's signal. McGee, stay with David. DiNozzo, you're with me picking up the Admiral." Gibbs said.

"No," Vance said.

Gibbs turned to look menacingly at him. Vance rarely interfered in Gibbs' casework, and he was already stepping on Gibbs' toes as it was.

Vance continued, "McGee, you're off the bench. You and DiNozzo take Mane. Gibbs, you and I get the Admiral. I want it to go as diplomatically as possible."

Gibbs smirked and turned towards the elevator with Vance.

"You gonna be ok?" McGee whispered to David, who looked exhausted and stressed.

"I think so. It's just a lot to take in. Are you gonna be ok? It's your dad, regardless of what he said before or if he's actually behind this."

"I'll be fine." He turned to Abby as he picked up his gear bag. "Hey Abby, could you take David down to the lab and keep him company while we're gone?"

"Sure!" Abby grinned.

"Love you. Be back soon!" McGee called to David as he and Tony trailed Gibbs and Vance.

She propped up David's crutches for him. "Come on, Future Mr. McGee, I wanna hear all about the proposal this morning!"

NCIS

The Admiral refused to sit at the table in the interrogation room like a common criminal. McGee watched his father through the observation glass as the man paced back and forth. Gibbs had planned to hit the Admiral first, then his aide based on his responses. David opted to not view the interrogation, instead letting himself rest in Abby's lab while she worked. Vance entered the observation room as Gibbs entered Interrogation.

"Have a seat, Admiral," Gibbs said, using the folder he carried to gesture towards the seat facing the glass.

"This is preposterous! You've wasted enough of my time as it is," the Admiral said.

"Then I imagine you'll cooperate so you we can be done faster," Gibbs said smoothly. "Sit."

The Admiral put his hat on the table and stood on the other side, but never sat. Gibbs sat casually.

"Where were you last Friday evening, March 1st?"

The Admiral's eyes narrowed at Gibbs, then looked up at the window. "Who's behind the glass?"

Gibbs watched for the Admiral's tells and held back a smirk as he saw the walls go up.

"Who's watching?" he asked again.

"You scared he's gonna see you break? That he'll see what you've sunk to?"

"My relationship with my son is none of your damn business."

Gibbs continued his attack. "You make him think he's nothing, then when you see him with something you try to take it away from him because _you_ have nothing."

The Admiral's face and fist tensed. "You will respect this uniform."

"Funny, you said the same thing to David O'Malley that night at dinner, before you had him kidnapped."

The Admiral frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Gibbs noticed it but pressed again. "You hired thugs to stalk your own son and kidnap his partner just so you wouldn't look bad on the Hill."

The Admiral gritted his teeth. "I did no such thing! I've only ever wanted to protect Tim, but it's his fault that we're here in the first place!"

"How do you figure that?"

Admiral McGee stared down at Gibbs but said nothing.

"The only one you're protecting is yourself," Gibbs continued, "and not very well, I might add. We have enough to link you to the people that kidnapped David and burned his home down, and you're the only person with something to gain by him being gone."

"I had no part in any of that. But obviously they're out for my blood and you're helping them."

"I'm not here out of a personal vendetta," Gibbs said. "I'm investigating a kidnapping and murder related to an NCIS Agent. Are you protecting Tim or not?"

He finally sat and stared straight into Gibbs' eyes. He reached into his pocket, took out a small cell phone and dropped it on the table. "Three days ago, I put my coat on, and that rang in my pocket. I had never seen it before. I open it and there's a message with a picture of Timothy running with that scum he brought with him to dinner. Another one saying they know my secret and want twenty grand to keep it quiet or they'll expose me and put Tim in the hospital. That punk is blackmailing me. Look for yourself."

McGee continued to observe keenly from behind the glass. His fists were shaking.

Gibbs used the end of his pen to push the keys on the phone and read the messages and their timestamps. He looked back at the Admiral's eyes and studied them.

"Why would you think O'Malley would use his own relationship to blackmail you?" He looked back at the Admiral and intensified his stare.

"It was probably the only reason he seduced my son in the first place. He had to know Timothy would outgrow him sooner or later and wanted to get what he could out of it. That's not the first phone I've received, either. I found another one last week, too. Same message."

"And you never reported it to anyone, not even after the second threat?"

"Why would I? I wasn't about to give Tim's _toy_ the attention he was obviously desperate for."

Gibbs' temper flared and he stood up to lean over the table. "Yesterday, two men broke into McGee's apartment, assaulted O'Malley, forced him at gunpoint to write a goodbye note, and kidnapped him. When you failed to report these threats, he had to fight for his life. Separating them was what you wanted. Since that's what happened here and you obviously have a chip on your shoulder about O'Malley, give me a reason not to think that you hired those men and are using these burners as a decoy," Gibbs taunted.

"I would never do anything to hurt Tim! Tim may think I'm a shitty father but I would never stoop to your accusations and I would never have let something happen if I thought the threat was real. I was planning to confront him about it after I received the second phone. I thought it was that guy getting back at me for the things I said at dinner, and I was going to show Tim who he really was."

Gibbs stared fiercely at him. He detected no lie, but that would not excuse the other man's actions. "And you just assumed all that because O'Malley's gay?"

The Admiral frowned and said nothing. Behind the glass, McGee tremored with hatred. Blazing hot tears inched down his face.

Gibbs pulled out a photograph of Connelly and pushed it towards the other man, studying his reactions. "Do you recognize him?"

"Vaguely. No idea who he is but he seems familiar. Who is he?"

"That's the man who's following your son. He works at the same company as the people who kidnapped O'Malley. He's also a waiter at your favorite restaurant. He was the one who waited on you that night the three of you had dinner. James Connelly."

"Like I said, he's familiar, but I wouldn't have spoken to some random waiter about this. I hadn't told anyone who that guy even was except…"

"Except…?" Gibbs pushed.

"Carlton. My aide, Lieutenant Mane."

Gibbs made up his mind about who the real client was. "Who is also the one told you about Tim and David?"

"So what?"

"From what I've been told, he told you about it twice. Didn't you also receive two cell phones?"

"You think he's got something to do with this? He would never betray me like this, selling my secrets to some stranger. He's like family to me."

"Who chose the restaurant and the time?"

"Lieutenant Mane."

"Who is the only person with enough access to you to slip you a cell phone without anyone, not even your security, noticing not once but twice?"

The Admiral looked at him in silence.

Gibbs continued, "Who also served with Connelly in the Navy?" He pulled out a picture of Mane from the folder and slid it towards the Admiral. "Your aide is using your misplaced pride as a pressure point to have this man blackmail you. When you didn't respond to the threats, you opened up the doorway for them to blackmail Tim, kill David, and make you take the fall for it so the failed attempts wouldn't lead back to them. So far the only people that have paid any price for your mistakes are Tim and David, but that's about to change."

The Admiral's stone-faced expression dropped and was replaced by raw anger and fear.

Gibbs continued, "You've admitted to repeatedly and willfully omitting information on multiple threats to a person's life, which led to assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, arson, and attempted murder. At the very least, I'm making sure you get reckless endangerment. You'd better pray that Mane doesn't roll over and tell me that you're the one who actually hired those people because I will believe him." Gibbs stood up, took the phone and headed towards the door. "If I were you, I'd start taking off that uniform now. You won't be wearing it again."

NCIS

Connelly looked at his phone and typed _"Package delivered?"_

The other phone typed back, _"Signed and sealed. Go for pressure on target."_

Connelly got out of his car, and walked across the street to McGee's apartment complex. He picked the lock, and knowing McGee wasn't home he slipped silently inside. The mid-afternoon light illuminated his way through the apartment, and he moved to the living room. Moments later, Gibbs, Tony, and McGee burst through the front door with guns trained squarely on Connelly. Connelly's face paled but he instantly lifted his hands, knowing better than to try and outrun three guns between him and the exit. Gibbs cuffed him while Tony took his weapons.

McGee emptied Connelly's pockets and found three cell phones. "Boss, this is it, the phone Bearse messaged. It still has the picture of David, too." He powered up the second cell phone and checked the number. "The other one is the one that we messaged from Mane's phone. It's got a lot of contacts and similar messages still on it. And this," he powered up the third phone, "is for me. Same picture of David and a ransom demand of $20,000."

"Right caliber gun for Muldoon's murder, too." Tony said, gently handling Connelly's .45.

"Bag 'em," Gibbs said, pulling Connelly to his feet and marching him out the door.

NCIS

McGee strolled into Abby's lab after sticking Connelly in Interrogation. The music was turned down low instead of at its usual blare, Abby worked silently at her desk, and David was asleep on one of the tables. Abby had given him a spare pillow she kept for her late nights, and he had her farting hippo, Bert, tucked under his arm. Abby saw McGee, but in lieu of shouting her usual loud greeting she tiptoed over to him and gave him a tight hug.

"You got the third guy?" she whispered.

"Third, fourth and fifth. Mane and Connelly were blackmailing my father and were about to blackmail me. He pointed fingers at Mane who sung like a bird leading us right to Connelly."

"Well that's good. Well, not good since it still happened but good that you got the guys. So your dad was involved after all?"

"Indirectly. Mane admitted to trying to blackmail him and that the kidnapping wasn't Dad's idea. But Dad knew we were being watched and threatened and he did nothing. He's been charged with reckless endangerment."

"I'm sorry," Abby said with concern.

"Don't be. It'll be nice never to have to think about him again," McGee nodded tiredly. Changing the subject he said, "Looks like you got David to sleep."

"Caffeine crash played a part in it, but yeah, I bored him to sleep with talk about Major Mass Spec's functions. Before that we talked for a while about the proposal, and I think you owe me a head-slap. It may not have been the best timing in the world, at least in my opinion, but it was really sweet, Timmy. He said you spoke from the heart, and that's all that mattered to him."

McGee smiled and reached his arm around her, but instead of giving her the head-slap he pulled her in for another hug. She smiled back.

"Maybe I'll give you that some other time, Abbs. Right now I'm just glad this whole thing is over."

"Me too. I've been so worried about you guys. Will you be able to go home today?"

"Not yet, it'll take a few days to clear the apartment from being a crime scene. Plus I'm a bit worried about taking David back there so soon after what happened. I'm thinking of checking us into a hotel until the place is cleared instead of staying at Gibbs'. It'll give us some space, and we can ease back into normal."

"That's probably better. You should go someplace nice to celebrate your engagement!"

"Already have a place in mind," he glanced over to make sure David was still sleeping, "but don't tell David. He needs a good surprise after all this. He still needs an official debrief from Gibbs, too. I'd really hate to wake him right now though."

"You should finish your report so you can leave early with him. I'll keep an eye on him."

"Ok, I'll let Gibbs know. Thanks, Abby."

"Let me be the Flower Girl in your wedding and that'll be thanks enough." Abby said with an excited smile.

NCIS

A couple of hours later, McGee returned to the lab with Gibbs and gently nudged David awake. David felt the hand on him and slid his up to meet it. When he felt it was McGee's, he slid their fingers between each other.

"Hey," David whispered sleepily.

McGee smiled as best as he could down at him. "It's over, we got them. Gibbs just needs to talk to you, then we can go."

David saw the strain on McGee's face. "You don't sound that happy. Was it your dad?"

"It's complicated. We'll explain upstairs, then when that's over we can leave early."

David smiled as he got up. "Good. We could both use some down time."

Gibbs said from the doorway, "One step at a time. Let's get you cleared."

After exiting the elevator, Gibbs led them to the conference room where Tony joined them. McGee gave David a supporting look as they sat down. Gibbs sat at the head of the table, David at the end, McGee next to him in the middle, and Tony across from David at the other end.

Gibbs started, "I just want to go over a few things so we can close the case. I'll need you to start from the beginning, tell me everything you can with as much detail as possible. Take as much time as you need."

David began recanting the events of kidnapping, occasionally stopping and squeezing McGee's hand for a moment before continuing. His details became less clear after the numerous beatings and drug doses, but Tony explained that they weren't looking for new information, just letting him work it out and process it as part of the debrief.

After David reached the point where they had found him, he looked back at Gibbs. "Was it actually Tim's dad who hired them?"

"No, but he's part of the reason it escalated how it did. He was their original target. Connelly used his job as a waiter to overhear conversations from high-powered people, then with Bearse and Muldoon's help he'd blackmail them with the information. They've been running the scam for years. Connelly let Mane in on the secret, and they came up with this. They were using your relationship with Tim to blackmail the Admiral. At first, the Admiral didn't take the threat seriously. Mane kept feeding the Admiral's insecurity back to him so that he'd eventually give in to the demands. He was too proud of his reputation and thought it would be tarnished by his son's relationship. They did research on Tim and found out he had money of his own from selling novels. Mane convinced the others he could get the Admiral to crack, so they decided to double down. They planned to kidnap you to blackmail Tim while they blackmailed his father with a threat he couldn't refuse."

McGee chimed in, "We caught Connelly planting a phone in my apartment. It had your picture and a text similar to what the Admiral received. If you had played along the way they expected, they would've held you until they got the money from the Admiral, then they would've blackmailed me and the fingers would've pointed back at the Admiral."

David frowned. "But if the aide, Mane, already knew about us, why have us go to the restaurant for Connelly just to hear the same information?"

McGee answered, "Connelly needed to confirm that's what was really going on, and they needed to shake up the Admiral for their next attempt at blackmail."

"I see. But why did they blow up my house and kill the other guy?"

Tony added, "Jethro's teeth had blood from Muldoon. Like you said in the video, there was no way they could take both you AND Jethro without causing more suspicion and having McGee investigate. Muldoon was a weak link so Bearse and Connelly improvised and changed the whole plan around."

Gibbs continued, "Connelly killed Muldoon in your house and opened the gas line so when it would ignite it would destroy the body and make it look like the Admiral had you killed. They needed Tim to stay in DC and not come after you so they could continue to blackmail the Admiral. The idea was that if the Admiral didn't respond to the threats, they could at least try to pin all the crimes on him so they could continue their scam. They didn't know about the video, so they didn't expect us to be responding so fast. They also didn't expect you to escape and manage to reach out to us. And when you made that transfer to Bearse's account for the bribe, it exposed everyone in the operation."

"Fucking hell…" David rubbed his face with one hand and squeezed McGee's hand with the other as he absorbed the information. "So if the Admiral had paid the blackmail in the first place, none of this would've happened to us?"

Gibbs answered, "Or if he reported the threats, we could've caught them. But he didn't, and it escalated. He's been charged with reckless endangerment."

David's eyes widened and he turned back to McGee who looked down and away. "Are you ok?" David asked.

"It's a lot to process, but I'll be alright. Can't say the same for his career or uniform, though," McGee muttered. McGee didn't feel like he'd be alright anytime soon, but at least the worst was over.

David pondered things for a moment then looked back at Gibbs. "So what's next?"

Gibbs looked over to Tony, who said, "I sent a request to Legal to have them draft a statement for your insurance company. Your homeowner's policy should cover you against criminal activity, so you should be able to recoup the whole value, even for the damage the debris did on your car. Also once the conviction goes through, your money will be released from Bearse's account. You can file additional charges for damages if you'd like."

David's head was still spinning from everything. "I don't know. I'll think about it, but really I just want everything over with." He looked over at McGee. "How do we start getting things back to normal?"

McGee looked back to David. "I think we should have a bit of space to process this, so I've found us a place to stay for a little while. We'll order you a new phone, bank cards, license, and today we can go shopping to get you some more clothes."

Gibbs gave a knowing smile, then stood up and walked towards the door. "You guys go ahead. McGee, check in with me later."

"Sure thing, Boss." McGee helped David up.

"Tony, come here," David said as he got his balance. He gave Tony a tight hug. "Thank you for everything. I know it's been a difficult few days, and I'm willing to bet you're both getting tired of chasing after me."

"A little, but since Tim is about to be your ball-and-chain, I'm hoping I won't have to chase you again. Remind me to steer clear of your bakery, though. You're running out of things to have blown up."

"Yeah, I'll call them tonight. I don't want the managers thinking they'll simply inherit the place."

McGee smiled and guided him towards the door, "Come on, I think we both need some cheering up, and I've got something special planned for you."


	15. Chapter 15

NCIS

Tim first had David order the replacement bank cards online using his computer, then took David to get a replacement phone. Because of their technical interests and backgrounds, they had more knowledge of the phones and their features than all of the sales representatives at the store combined. They spent almost an hour narrowing down which phone would be best, and the workers were never happier to see the backs of customers. When they started shopping for clothes, David forbade Tim to take him anywhere fancier than the Target in Columbia Heights since the only way they could pay was with Tim's card.

"I want you to have nice stuff!" Tim protested. He was holding up an expensive black leather jacket and pressing it against David to check its size.

"I'm not trying to land a job with Miranda Priestly," David said with a roll of his eyes. "I just need enough clothes to get me by until my bank gets me my new cards. I feel bad enough that I can't even buy you a drink." He grabbed a few different graphic tees and tossed them into the cart.

"Don't. You deserve this and I want to do it for you. Besides, it's not like our finances will be separate forever." Tim smiled and brushed his thumb over the ring on David's finger.

David smiled sheepishly and said, "That's true. You know, Abby called me 'Future Mr. McGee' just after you left. I've been thinking about it a lot."

Tim chuckled as he put the expensive coat in the cart. "Guess we have a lot to figure out. Do you want to take my last name? I could just as easily take yours. You've already given up yours once before for Kevin."

David pondered it for a moment then shrugged. "I don't know. We had our time. And I do still have him here," he said as he brushed his fingers over the tattooed Celtic band around his left bicep. "Plus you work with computers enough to know that putting that apostrophe in your name will be hell on earth for every system you use. One of my credit cards thinks my middle initial is 'O' and my last name is 'Malley.' Another one has a space like I have two last names."

"We could always go for broke and hyphenate both our last names. 'Timothy McGee-O'Malley.' Then computers would have a field day with both the hyphen and the apostrophe," Tim said with a smile. He took David's hands in his.

"I don't know, if we're really going for broke I think it should be 'O'Malley-McGee,'" David flashed him a coy smile.

"Oh you do, do you?" Tim tugged on David's arms and closed the space between them, but was aware of their public setting and didn't lean in for the kiss just yet. Instead he gave a seductive look and said, "You know how we usually resolve these disputes."

"The lightsabers blew up with the house," David said with a small smile. He was restraining himself from kissing Tim right there.

"We'll have to do something about that. Stay around here, I'll be back." Tim quickly pecked him on the lips then disappeared down the main aisle.

David shook his head and continued grabbing anything that looked comfortable and was on sale. He also put the expensive jacket back while he had the chance. After a few minutes, Tim returned with two cheap toy lightsabers: one red, one blue. David smacked his palm against his forehead.

"Oh my god, we are five years old," David said between laughs. He couldn't take the plastic hilts seriously when he had once held a customized metal hilt with a leather grip. "We could always do what real adults do and compromise. 'McMalley' isn't so bad, right?"

Tim grinned. "Actually I do kind of like that. But hey, if the method's not broke, don't fix it. When your ankle is healed up, you and I are having the 'Duel of the Last Names.'"

"You're on, _McJedi._ It's funny, there's so much ginger in our last names and neither of us are even close," David said. Tim pushed the cart while David's hands were tied holding the crutches. "You think they'll let me change after we pay for the clothes? I feel like an imposter wearing these scrubs and having no medical knowledge whatsoever."

"Probably. They may even let me into the changing room since you're handicapped." Tim shot him a seductive smile.

"You wouldn't…" David's jaw dropped.

"You're right, I wouldn't. I'm waiting till you see what I've got planned."

David leaned over the cart. "Oh, is that right? Do I get a hint?"

Tim considered the request, then leaned over the other side of the cart to look David right in the eyes. "You get initials: H.S. That's all."

David narrowed his eyes and calculated for a moment, then bumped his eyebrows up at Tim. "Alright, the game's afoot. At least tell me how I should dress for dinner."

Tim reached over and grabbed the leather jacket that David had put back and dropped it back in the cart. "That, for starters."

David rolled his eyes again. "Tim, not too much, please. I don't want you spending so much on me."

Tim gave him puppy eyes, but a hint of sadness hid behind them. "What? You changed around your whole life so you could be here with me, and you deserve to have some nice things."

David raised a knowing eyebrow. "Tim… you wouldn't happen to be trying so hard because you feel guilty about your dad, would you?"

Tim's smile dropped and he looked down.

David moved over and took his hands. "Baby, you can't blame yourself for something he did. It's not your job to make up for what happened. We just have to move on together."

"My father's actions made people hurt you and destroy part of your life. You, my David. How can I not feel slightly responsible for making up for that?"

"So they blew up my house. Big deal. They're just things. This," David put Tim's hands on David's chest just over his heart, "matters much more. Just make sure that this-" he put his hand over Tim's heart, "-still makes its way back to me at the end of the day, and nothing your father has or could have done will matter."

Tim gently tilted his head against David's. "I'm just glad it's over. You're mine, and I'll make sure you stay safe and that I'll come back to you. Just please let me do at least something special for you?"

"You already do."

Tim chuckled a little bit. "You know what I mean."

David gave him a quick kiss. "Ok. I'll give you a pass for now, but soon as I get my cards I'm buying you something nice too."

After they had finished paying for the clothes, David went into the changing room in the scrubs but came back wearing a black flat cap, a red vintage Coke shirt, the black leather jacket, a pair of jeans, and a black canvas shoe on his uninjured left foot. There were still signs of bruising on his face but it had somewhat subsided. The small bandages on his head were covered by the hat, and his wrapped foot was mostly covered by the jeans.

Tim's mouth hung open but was curved into a smile. He felt the twitch in his groin, but was too busy drinking in the sight before him. "Damn, babe. You look great!"

David smiled walked them both up to the mirror so they stood side-by-side. Tim was slightly overdressed being in his work suit, but they each looked at the other's eyes in the reflection, not the clothes. David linked his arm around Tim's and laid his head on Tim's shoulder.

"Last night someone tried to kill me. He almost did it. Somehow less than a day later, you manage to make me feel great again. It's not even the clothes or knowing thing will be sorted out with my house, it's just because of you and you being here. Somehow you make the rest of the world just go away. How do you do that?"

"It's not all me, you know. You've been really strong through all of this. It's really amazing. Just don't hold back if something's bothering you or if you need to talk something out, ok? I'm here for everything, good and bad."

David turned to embrace him and lowered his head into the space where Tim's neck met his shoulder. "Me too."

NCIS

Tim needed to throw David off of whatever scent he was onto with 'H.S.', so Tim took him to an upscale hibachi steakhouse for dinner. When they were done, Tim drove them around on a very odd route to confuse David as to where they were going to end up. Eventually, Tim pulled up in front of a rather expensive-looking hotel.

"The Adams House?" David asked. "Never heard of it. It looks a bit… pricey?"

"Don't worry, I didn't spend too much on it," Tim said as he stood up and handed the keys to a valet. As David got up out of the car, Tim whispered quietly to the valet, "We're staying in the Honeymoon Suite, please bring the bags there but don't say anything to David," and slipped him a $20 bill. He walked over to help David get steady, and at David's curious look he lied, "I was just telling him to be careful when parking it."

David's suspicious eyes narrowed, and he cautiously followed Tim into the marble lobby. Looking back, he saw the valets loading the bags from their shopping trip onto a baggage trolley before parking Tim's car. David looked all around and observed their rather classy surroundings.

Tim turned back to him and said, "Wait here, and no snooping." He smiled and dotted David's nose with his finger before turning to head to the front desk. After a few minutes, he returned with a set of room key cards and a cocky smile he couldn't hide.

"Timothy McGee, what have you done?" David said, eyeing his smile.

"Nothing," Tim lied rather unconvincingly and gently bit his lip. "Come on."

Tim led him up the elevator and down a hall. The halls had a pale green color trimmed with white moldings and accents. Various paintings were scattered around the walls to give a spacious yet decorated look. They reached the end where a set of double doors were waiting. David's eyes absorbed the plaque on the wall that said 'Honeymoon Suite.'

"Woah woah, wait, no! You did not book this, Tim…" David staggered a bit and had to stabilize himself with the crutches. His jaw hung down and quivered, and his eyes were wide.

Tim quickly went to him to steady him and squeeze his arm. "Wait, David, it's ok."

"Tim, no, this is too much. I can't. I saw that lobby, this can't be less than a thousand a night." David was shaking his head and biting his lips.

Tim spoke softly to try and soothe David. "Baby, it's ok, NCIS is covering it."

"What?"

"I wanted to take you here for just a regular room, but Gibbs said to get a purchase order and upgrade since it's not like we'll be here for more than a few days. He said that since our home was sealed, we didn't have any other place to go, and your money was tied up, that he'd sign off on us staying here on NCIS's dime. He said to think of it as a gift to you from work for helping us with yet another case and to us for our engagement."

"Gibbs did this for us?"

"Yeah. It's ok, it's really ok. This is something special for us," Tim said as he brushed David's cheek with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't be surprising you after everything. I just thought this would be a nice surprise. Is that what's bothering you?"

David stammered, "It's- I- I just… I'm not used to just being given so many nice things like this. The shopping spree, the hotel, a platinum ring, it's just a lot so close together. I just don't want you spending so much just for me. It wouldn't be right."

Tim pulled him in for a tight embrace and whispered gently into his ear. "Don't think for a second that you're not worth having something nice done for you. I know you don't need expensive things and I love that about you. But this really is a gift to us. And I promise, I didn't ask for this out of guilt or anything. Honestly, I think we both deserve it after the rough week we've had, so let's enjoy it."

David wrapped his arms around Tim and gave him a slow kiss.

After a moment, Tim pulled out of the kiss with a smile. "Come on. One reason I picked here in the first place was because they're pet-friendly, and I knew you'd be anxious to see Jethro."

"Jethro's here?" David's face lit up.

Tim barely had the door open before eighty pounds of fur and drool sped towards David and nearly knocked him off his feet. Jethro could only use three of his four legs, but despite the cast around his front right leg he was energetic and very happy to see David. David bent down on his knee to be with Jethro.

"Hey buddy," David said excitedly, ruffling Jethro's face and back. "I was worried about you."

Tim chuckled and shook his head. "Abby dropped him off while we were at dinner. She said she ogled the room for almost a half hour before remembering she needed to get out before we got here."

David had a broad smile as he looked up at Tim. His concerns were long forgotten. "We could be at a 'Super 8' and I wouldn't care as long as I had my boys together."

Tim helped David back onto his feet. "This is no 'Super 8,' I guarantee you."

Strolling through the doors, there was a set of off-white couches set in an L-shape joined by an end table and an ottoman. Jethro had already jumped up on one of the couches to claim it for himself. The color of the couch was a balance between the brown and white checkered carpet and the white and tan striped walls. The white ceiling was covered in intricate designs. The couches faced a large flat-screen TV overtop of a gas fireplace. In the corner to the left was a desk with black roses and a card resting on top. Straight ahead was a table with a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice along with two engraved glasses. Against the wall was a set of chairs that had the bags from their shopping trip already waiting. Behind them were windows with a view that overlooked the park and pointed straight at the north side of the White House.

The suite continued through an archway on the right to the bedroom. Just under the windows on the left of the bedroom was a raised marble-looking platform with a large hot tub. The tub was large enough to seat them both while also giving a view of the White House. On the platform next to the tub were two white bathrobes and a set of towels. Across from the tub was another fireplace and TV. Against the far wall was a white king-sized bed. Through a door on the right was a large bathroom.

David set his eyes on the tub. "That is definitely happening." He then went back into the main room to the desk with the roses. "These could only be from Abby," he said with a smile as he examined them.

Tim chuckled and went over to the main table. He popped the champagne and poured their glasses. "She said she wants dibs on Flower Girl. I'm sure those aren't the last black flowers you will see."

"I can see the appeal. They're very sleek."

Tim walked over and handed David a glass, then clinked them together. "To us."

"Mmm, to us."

They each took large sips, then David reached up and gave Tim a deep kiss. His tongue slipped into Tim's mouth to let them taste each other with the bubbly sensation still on their tongues.

"Mmm," Tim moaned. "That was nice. Again?"

David responded by downing the rest of his champagne, then after swallowing he repeated the kiss but this time pulled Tim closer by his shirt. Their tongues swirled and their bodies ground together. Then David broke the kiss.

"I'm going to start the tub warming up. Care to join me?" David asked enticingly.

"Like you have to ask," Tim replied before giving him another kiss.

David made his way into the bedroom to start the water. Tim noticed a card left under Abby's flowers, and opened it.

 _Timmy & David,_

 _Happy Engagement! You guys are scheduled for a massage on Saturday at 3 and dinner at the restaurant here at 6. Hope you guys have fun!_

 _-Abby_

 _P.S. – The lube's in the nightstand._

Tim chuckled at the note, then said to himself, "Thank you, Abby." Tim refilled the champagne glasses and walked into the bedroom to find that David had already started the fireplace, stripped down and positioned himself provocatively on the edge of the filling tub. "Oh, look at you. Already comfortable?"

"Get over here and find out," David said with a bump of his eyebrows.

Tim set the glasses down on the platform, and leaned down to kiss David. David took hold of Tim's shirt and slid his other hand up Tim's chest and over his shoulder to push his suit jacket off. As Tim unbuttoned his shirt, David tested the water and gently slid into the tub. David had added a packet of bubble gel that came with the tub, so the bubbles tickled as he went in. He slid over to the side so when Tim had stripped he could slip in next to him. Tim threw his clothes to the side, but before heading into the tub he got a hungry look on his face and grabbed the lube from the nightstand. After Tim sat back in the tub to David's left, David hit the button on the platform and the jets came to life. They both moaned in luxurious pleasure as the jets delivered a much-needed massage to them both.

David rolled to his left and cuddled up to Tim. His head managed to fit on Tim's chest without dipping much into the water. "Mmm… this was definitely a good idea."

Tim smiled. "I'm glad you're enjoying it."

"Are you? You've had a rough day too."

Tim rolled his head back and forth thinking about it. "It's definitely helping, but it's going to take a little while to get over all this. Tomorrow we have to go back so you can speak to a therapist about everything and they can evaluate you. I'm sure Vance will want me to do the same thing before he'll return me to field duty."

David nestled tighter into Tim. "Don't' worry, I'll take care of you. You've got me, and you've got the rest of your real family."

David reached up and planted a deep kiss on Tim's mouth. Tim melted into the kiss and slid a hand up David's back. David continued to nuzzle their faces together after just barely breaking the kiss.

Tim smiled and said, "And you said I'm the one that makes the rest of the world go away."

"I had to learn it from somewhere. Love you."

"Love you too," Tim whispered and gave David one more kiss. He reached over and handed David his glass of champagne, which he accepted with a bubble-covered hand.

"Trying to butter me up with bubbly, my dear husband-to-be?" David said, biting his lip.

Tim clinked his glass against David's. "How do I know you're not buttering _me_ up with the bubbles, the fire and all the sweet-talking?" he teased. "Maybe I'm not that kind of guy that just hops into bed with the first man I ask to marry me."

"If not a bed, will a tub do?"

"I think I can allow that," Tim said with a smile.

David set down his glass, cupped the back of Tim's head and pulled him in this time for a passionate kiss. Tim also set his glass down and rolled himself over David. David slid down further into the water and Tim straddled him without breaking lip or tongue contact. David kneaded his hands up Tim's thighs, making his way around to the globes of Tim's ass. Tim ran his hands under the water across David's chest and over to his arms where he squeezed the muscles. He ground himself into David's stiffening shaft under the water. David grasped Tim's hard cock and gently stroked him. Tim reached behind and positioned David's cock between his cheeks and gently let it slide up and down. The water splashed around them, but the warm water and contrasting cool air sent goosebumps up their skin. The tip of David's cock teased Tim's entry, which made Tim gasp and break the kiss.

"David…" he breathed.

"I want you, so much. Just be careful, it's been a while for you," David said as he stroked Tim's cheek with the back of his fingers.

Tim grabbed the lube and put some on David's fingers. David massaged Tim's quivering hole while Tim lubed up David's thicker cock. The lube felt like liquid silk and seemed to agree well with the water, but they still added seconds to be safe. David nuzzled his way around to the spot just under Tim's ear and gently nipped as he slid a finger up to the knuckle inside Tim.

"Oh god, I've missed you doing that," Tim said raggedly.

Tim started rocking his hips against David's intruding finger. With each movement he stroked David and pumped himself into David's hand. David added another finger, helping to expand Tim for what was soon to come.

"Please," Tim begged into David's ear, "I need you."

"Just take it slow," David softly warned.

Tim eased himself up so he towered over the water. His wet chest glistened in the firelight. He reached behind and positioned himself over David, and slowly lowered himself onto the engorged shaft. He slowly worked David's inches into him, stopping momentarily to adjust to the girth every couple of inches. His breathing got heavier as he continued. David thought the tightness would almost reject him, but Tim held him firmly. Tim eventually reached David's base. The full feeling inside him caused him to moan ecstatically with feeling's he'd almost forgotten. Tim groped for one of David's hands and he laced their fingers tightly together.

Tim gently started his movements. The water moved to and fro, but they slowly built a rhythm. David slid his hands up and down Tim's chest. Tim started audibly moaning with each landing as David's cock brushed his sensitive spot within. David pulled himself up so he could kiss Tim as he rode. David held him tight with one arm and stroked Tim's shaft with the other.

"Love you, oh god I love you," David said between breaths.

"David… mine…"

"All yours."

David began rocking his hips up to meet Tim's gyrating. Their breathing intensified. Tim slid one hand up into David's hair and gripped him harder as he rode. He felt David's shaft swelling even larger.

"Oh god Tim I can't hold on much longer," David panted.

Tim looked down with a loving intensity into David's eyes as he moved up and down.

"TIM!" David shouted as he pushed into him as hard as he could.

Tim felt the warm pulsing of David inside him. The jets of David's cum on his sensitive spot pushed him well over the edge. He grunted loudly with each spasm and shot so hard it soared out of the water and onto their chests. They rocked together in the warm water for a moment until they came back down from their ecstasy. The water jets still massaged them gently. David's eyes were closed and his head was tipped against Tim's chest. Tim kept his hold on David's back and head, and tilted his own head down to nuzzle David.

"Are you ok?" David whispered.

"Never better," Tim whispered back.

Tim slowly dismounted and slid down next to David. This time David held Tim as Tim snuggled on his chest. David used right hand up to take Tim's left, and brought it up to his mouth for a soft kiss.

"We need to get you a ring too, _Elflord_ ," he said with a smile.

"Mmm, that'd be nice. You know, I was also thinking about the apartment. Even though it will be cleared as a crime scene, do we really want to go back there? I mean, we wanted to move anyway."

"We'll have to go back eventually. It's not like moving happens overnight, but I wouldn't mind if you wouldn't."

"I'm also getting rid of that coffee table. It'll keep reminding me of what happened."

David ran his thumb over Tim's fingers. "Let's go looking tomorrow after you're done work."

Tim nuzzled up and gave him a kiss. "Or we could dry off, slip into those fuzzy bathrobes, and hunt for a place online while we cuddle up on the bed?"

David smiled but didn't move. "Sounds lovely, but I want five more minutes of bliss with my man before getting up."

NCIS

Abby strutted happily from the elevator over to Tony's desk. "Hey Tony!"

"Hey Abs. Everything work out with the hotel?" Tony looked up at her for only a second before continuing to type his report.

"Yeah. That is one sweet suite. Ha, see what I did there?"

Tony smiled and rolled his eyes. "So original. You should-" He was cut off by his phone ringing. "Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."

" _Hello,"_ a man's nervous voice came through the phone. _"I was told to reach out to… uh… N-C-I-S regarding someone I'm trying to find. Are you the one managing the case about David Briga- er, David O'Malley?"_

Tony gave Abby a curious look and notched up one eyebrow. Taking out his notepad, he replied, "Yes, I am. How were you made aware of the case?"

" _My local news in Wilmington reported a house exploded in West Grove and they showed David's name and picture, but they never said if he was found and I'd really like to know. The police directed me you."_

"What's your name, and how do you know Mr. O'Malley?"

" _My name is Mitchell Brigantine. I'm David's brother."_


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N - Whoops... wrong file initially posted. Sorry!**

* * *

NCIS

Tim and David spent the next morning in luxury by ordering room service for breakfast in bed. While Tim prepared Jethro for his walk, he stopped to protest David preparing to go to the gym.

"David, come on. You have to take things slow. Let your body heal."

"I am taking it slow. That's why I'm skipping my jogging since, well, I can't jog. And I'm only going to do half of my normal reps," he said while slipping on a gym shirt from one of the shopping bags. He looked back up at Tim with puppy eyes and pouted lips. "Please? I just want to feel like normal again."

Tim walked over and lifted David's face up for a soft kiss. "Ok, but only do a quarter of your normal reps. No strain, no stress."

"Ok. And you, no overthinking on your jog. Only use a quarter of your normal brainpower."

Tim tried to smile. "I'll do my best."

"Hey," David said with concern in his voice. He stood up using one of the chairs for support and gave Tim a hug. "We'll get through it."

"I know. Just need time."

"We've got it. And you let me know whatever else you need, ok?"

Tim laced their fingers together. "Ok."

After their workouts and another intimate moment in the shower, they made their way to NCIS. They stopped on the way for coffee at the place they used to go before David started carrying the same brew. McGee dropped David off at one of the therapists' offices downstairs, then went upstairs to the squad room where Tony was waiting.

"Hey, _McHoneymoon._ Get any sleep last night?" Tony quipped cheerfully.

"It wasn't our honeymoon, Tony. Just a getaway in a nice hotel," McGee reasoned as he sat at his desk. "But to answer your question, yes. We both got plenty of sleep."

"Yeah, well you'll both need it today. You get to play with the head gamers, and David's going to have a visitor."

McGee looked curiously at him. "Who?"

"His brother, Mitchell."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah. He called in last night. Apparently, Wilmington news reporters were a bit more comprehensive in their reports since they're much closer to David's town, and they aired his name and picture as if he were missing. I already called the station to verify what they had and told them to remove the details off any further broadcast. Funny, I never heard David talk about his relatives."

McGee had an unsettling feeling coming on. "He hasn't spoken to anyone in his family for years. What did you tell him?"

"Nothing yet, just bringing him in. We only just closed the investigation last night, so I'm going to see what he knows first then see if the shrink wants to OK them visiting."

McGee shut his eyes and ran his hands over his face. "Tony, you shouldn't have done that. They haven't spoken for a reason. It's going to make things worse."

"Calm down, _McNervous_ ," Tony eyed McGee strangely. "I'll talk with him and find out what's going on, and then if the shrink says everything's fine we'll let David decide."

"Did you tell him anything else?"

"No, just to come down."

"Good. Don't mention anything to David either until we know what's going on. I don't want this adding to any stress he's carrying. When is he getting here?"

"Just waiting on the call from the front desk. What's the big deal anyway?"

"It's a long story, but David separated from his family a long time ago and hasn't tried to go back. I'll go with you when his brother gets here."

Gibbs walked into the bullpen at that moment and immediately said, "No you won't. You've got bank accounts to sift through to find everyone that Connelly blackmailed." He dropped a thick folder on McGee's desk. "And you're too close to David to interview the brother."

McGee tightened his lips to stop himself from audibly protesting and got to work. After a few minutes Tony's phone finally rang.

"Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. Yup. Ok, send him up." Tony looked over at McGee with a slight frown. "Don't worry, McGee. I'll check him out and make sure there won't be trouble."

McGee silently nodded and tried to focus on his work. The elevator dinged, and a man carrying a toddler and a satchel bag exited. McGee studied the man without looking like he was staring. The man was tall and somewhat lanky with thinning blonde hair. He lacked David's muscle in his arms and legs, but wielded the little girl in his arms without strain. His eyes were blue like David's, but underneath exhaustion and confusion they didn't have the same sparkle that McGee saw in David's. He looked to be older than David by a few years. His chin was bare except for overnight stubble, and he wore jeans and a brown jacket. The girl had short brown hair and a bright pink coat. She sucked her thumb while looking at each passing stranger in the office, and she clutched a stuffed tiger with her other hand. The man looked around confusedly until Tony stood up and walked towards him. McGee looked at them as they conversed, but then reminded himself to focus on work so the time would pass faster and he'd be closer to finding out what that guy was doing there.

"Hello," Tony greeted the man. "I'm Special Agent DiNozzo. Are you Mitchell Brigantine?"

"Yes, that's me. 'Mitch' is fine."

"Right this way." Tony gestured towards the hallway and led Mitchell to the conference room where they sat down at the end of the table. "Is there anything you need? Coffee, water?"

"No, thank you, I'd really just like to know what's going on with David. Is he ok? Is he in some kind of federal trouble because of the explosion?"

"David's fine. He was the victim of a kidnapping, but he escaped and returned. He's with a counselor right now."

"My god… is he hurt? Can I see him?"

Tony studied the man as he asked the questions. His concern seemed genuine but Tony still heeded McGee's warning from earlier. He put on his best professional tone and tried to think of this as any other case. "He sustained minor injuries, but he's been treated for them. As far as seeing him, that's going to be up to the therapist and up to him. From what I understand, he hasn't had any contact from his family in a long time, so before approving a family visit I would like to better understand why that is."

Mitch sat his daughter in the chair next to him then turned back to Tony. "The last time we spoke was probably close to four years ago. David's partner died, and my wife and I never went to the funeral but our parents did. They said some pretty terrible things, and David came to us asking for us to try to get them to apologize. We…" Mitch paused, looked down disappointedly at the table, then looked back up at Tony and continued, " _I_ was worried that siding with David would tear the family apart, and so we just stayed out of it. I guess I hoped that once things cooled off that it'd be water under the bridge, but after a year or so went by and no one had heard from David I started getting worried. No one else seemed concerned, but I tried calling David and even going to his apartment but he had changed his number, moved out, and didn't tell anyone where he was going."

"And had you tried to reach out any time after that?"

"I tried the Christmas after I first tried reaching out, but the only number I had for him went out of service. I thought about hiring a private detective, but Beth got pregnant again and we needed to save the money. Once I saw his picture on the news I was so worried. But you said he's ok?"

"Yes, one of our agents has been keeping an eye on him." _'Amongst other things…'_ Tony thought to himself. "As far as getting to see him, much of that will depend on the therapist's evaluation, though the decision will ultimately be up to David."

Mitch nodded and looked back down at the table. "I don't expect him to want to see me, but the drive here was worth it just to know he's ok. If… If he doesn't want to see me, will you at least give him my number so if he ever changes his mind he can call?"

Tony looked at him, then nodded. "Sure."

Mitch took out a business card from his wallet and passed it across the table to Tony. "Might I ask, why is the Navy involved in this instead of the FBI? Did he join the Navy?"

Tony calculated the best way to release the information. _Don't Ask/Don't Tell_ was involved, so he couldn't actually tell him about McGee or even that an NCIS agent was in a relationship with David. He was also not sure how much David would want him to say. "No, he's still a civilian. His case was of particular interest to us so we were given jurisdiction."

"I see. What can you tell me about him? What's he like nowadays?"

"Speaking freely, from what I know he's a good guy. Smart, excellent baker, a bit of a temper but generally nice. Try not to expect anything if you see him, though. This kind of experience can leave people rather unpredictable for a little while until they adjust back to normal."

"He was always had a feisty streak to him. Do you know where he's been these last few years?"

Tony shook his head. "I think that's more than I can tell you. Stay here for now. I will let him know that you're here and I'll get you when I have his answer." He stood up with his folder and walked towards the door.

"Before you go," Mitch stood up and looked at him. "Can you at least tell me, is he happy? Like, really happy?"

"You mean other than the kidnapping and his house exploding?"

Mitch nodded, realizing he probably should've taken those into consideration before asking.

Tony answered, "I'd say he was, and with time he will be again now that everything's over."

NCIS

McGee was alone in the bullpen when he heard the familiar clicking of crutches coming from the elevator. He looked up to see David making his way to the bullpen with a folder and a satisfied smile. He was relieved to see the smile, but unsure how to tell David what else was going on.

"Hey, hey," David said as he got to McGee's desk.

"Hey. Everything go well?"

"Yup. She wasn't as concerned because I wasn't held for a long period of time and I haven't responded negatively to physical contact."

McGee's eyebrow notched up. "You mean, you told her about last night?"

"'Course I did. She did say that I may be rushing myself with trying to get back to normal too quickly though. She said to take some time to at least look at each physical wound on my body and absorb what happened for each one. She also said to try and go outside at night once in a while so I don't repress what happened and so I won't be afraid to go back out."

"That's good. We'll take it one step at a time though."

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure she wants me to cry again at some point too, so I'm going to rent _You've Got Mail_ for tonight."

McGee's mouth hung open in disbelief. "Really?"

"Oh come on! Don't tell me you don't feel it when she has to close the store, and she remembers dancing with her mom, and there's that sign, and she's walking home alone at night, and there's the soft piano music. You've gotta be with me on that one, otherwise this marriage is _never_ going to work. I'm getting misty-eyed just thinking about it…"

McGee had to put his hand in front of his mouth to hide his smile, and managed to stifle his full laugh down to a mere chuckle. David's jaw dropped in mock shock, and then he smacked McGee over the head with the folder and dropped it on his desk.

"I'm sorry-" McGee tried to say through his sniggering. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. You are such a softy and it's adorable. I will admit, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks have perfect screen chemistry, so I will watch the movie with you tonight. Just don't tell Tony or he'll never stop talking about it."

Tony breezed into the bullpen and said, "Tony will never stop talking about what?"

"Nothing," David chuckled. Turning back to McGee he said, "Do you have time to drive me back to the hotel?"

McGee grimaced, then looked over at Tony who nodded positively. "David, you should sit down."

David looked curiously at them both while McGee stood up and gave David his chair.

Tony started, "David, we've been contacted by your brother, Mitchell."

David blinked surprisingly. "Sorry, what?"

McGee said, "One news station posted your picture. He saw it and called in last night."

"He… called here?"

Tony nodded. "David, understand that there's no pressure for you to see him. This is all at your own pace. The therapist said she'd allow it if you wanted it."

" _See_ him? He's here?" David ran a hand through his hair and looked down at McGee's desk.

"Again, there's no pressure for you to see him, and he knows that."

"What did he want?"

"He said he had been trying to find you, but he didn't know where you went. He seemed like he just wanted to know that you were ok."

"This isn't some kind of trick, right? Neither of you called them first? The shrink didn't call them?"

McGee shook his head. "No, I made sure it was noted in your case file that you weren't close with your family and that they weren't to be contacted in an emergency event. He called us."

"So he called here. He made the effort to come down here just to make sure that I'm ok…" David pondered it for a moment while Tony and McGee exchanged worried glances. David finally said, "Ok, I'll see him. Where is he?"

McGee placed a hand on David's shoulder. "Are you sure? You don't have to just because he came here."

"I'm sure, Tim. I'll be ok, but I would like you there with me." David hoisted himself up from the chair and looked back to Tony. "Where is he?"

"Conference room, this way."

Tony led them to the conference room. Tony and McGee entered first. Mitch stood up when they came through, and held his breath as he looked expectantly at the doorway. David breathed before entering then made his way in. Mitch exhaled sharply when he saw David's injuries. They locked eyes and stared at each other for a moment. David was the first to speak.

"Mitch."

"David… It's good to see you."

"I'm kinda surprised to see you, honestly," David said nervously. He studied the other man, and his eyes wandered to the child sleeping in one of the chairs. "Looks like you and Beth have been busy."

"Yeah. Her name's Riley. Just turned one."

David gave a quick smile before nervousness took over his face again.

"Here, you should sit, get off your feet," Mitch turned around one of the chairs to face David.

"Thanks," David said as he went to sit.

Mitch sat down in his chair, but Tony and McGee walked to the back of the conference room to give them space but still oversee the meeting. Tony watched Mitch to ensure there would be no trouble while McGee watched David for any signs of too much strain.

"David… I… I know it's a little late and you may not be able to forgive me, but I wanted to say I'm sorry for everything that happened. I shouldn't have let Mom and Dad get away with what they said about you and Kevin. I didn't want to see the whole family get divided, but I was wrong to think that it was something to just be gotten over with time. I'm really sorry."

David sat still as he processed it for a moment. McGee held his breath and braced himself to calm David down in case his temper got the better of him or if he wanted to leave. Then David nodded silently and stood up. His brother met him halfway and they hugged tightly. McGee smiled and sighed in relief. He looked over at Tony who also smiled. David patted Mitch on the back then they each sat back down.

David smiled and said, "It is good to see you again. It's been an interesting few years."

"I bet. When I didn't hear back from you, I tried reaching out but your number was disconnected and you had moved. You ended up in West Grove?"

"I…" David paused to determine exactly what the best thing to say would be. "I took some time and space to kinda restart my life. It wasn't pretty for a while, but I got through it. And yeah, I lived in West Grove but I just moved to Silver Spring."

"Are you working in DC now?"

"Not yet, I'm selling my bakery and starting a new one somewhere around here."

"That's great that you finally got to do that. I'm still working at the law office in Wilmington. I'm glad you landed on your feet, though. Are you… _with_ someone again?"

David smiled and held out his hand towards McGee. McGee smiled nervously and walked from the window over to David to take his hand. David looked back at Mitch and nodded. Mitch looked calculatingly from David to McGee, then over to Tony and back. His eyes went wide.

"Oh! Now everything makes sense! You guys had the case because of your relationship with… I'm sorry, I never got your name," Mitch said to McGee and held out his hand.

"Special Agent Timothy McGee."

"Timothy. Ok, so now I get it. That's good though, I hoped you'd be happy again."

David smiled again. "I am." He looked down at the table, then back up at his brother. "Have you told anyone else that you found me?"

Mitch bit his lip. "Just Beth. I… wasn't sure exactly what had happened, and when I was told there was a federal case involved I really didn't know what to think. I can though, if you want."

"No. No, that's fine. If any of them ask, you can give them my number. But don't go out of your way to have them call or visit." He looked up at McGee, and McGee could see that David was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. McGee glanced over at Tony with the silent message in his eyes.

Tony moved towards them from the window. "I think that's enough for today. I'll make sure David gets your contact information, and we'll keep it on file as well. McGee, you and David go ahead, I'll escort Mr. Brigantine out."

David nodded gratefully at Tony then turned back to Mitch. "I'm glad you came to see me. I'll give you a call when things have settled down."

The brothers hugged once more, then McGee guided David silently back to McGee's desk. Once there, McGee gave David a hug of his own when in private behind his desk. McGee could read the signs of panic in David's eyes.

"Are you ok? What's wrong?"

David leaned against McGee's desk and nodded exhaustedly. "Yeah, it just brought back a lot that I haven't thought about in a while."

McGee took one of David's hands in his. "Do you want to talk about it or just relax for a bit?"

David sighed. "I don't know… You remember when your dad called you, and you said you were fine just not hearing from him again?"

"Yeah, and thankfully I think that'll actually be the result this time."

"Well, I guess I thought I was fine not hearing from any of my siblings. I never really even thought of them that much. Now with Mitch here... Glad as I really am to see him, I'm reminded that the rest of them are out there just fine with forgetting about my existence."

"You don't know that. He may just be the first to come forward because of the news. Don't worry about the rest of them now, though. You just got a brother back. That doesn't happen every day. You know what I would give to have Ziva back?"

David nodded, then leaned his head against McGee's shoulder.

McGee continued, "I'm really proud of you, though. You forgave him after everything that happened and after all this time. You've never ceased to amaze me."

"I guess, like you said, it's not a chance I'm given every day. I didn't think we needed any more negativity in our lives," David said as he looked down. "Do you think you'll ever forgive your father?"

"I don't know. I guess that's something the counselor will ask me too."

David looked back up at McGee. "Do you have to stay, or can you give me a ride back to the hotel?

"Yeah, I've got accounts to sift through and I still have to speak to a counselor myself to get cleared for the field. Are you sure you want to be by yourself right now? You can stay here if you'd like."

"I think I should go back. I'm just feeling a lot right now, and I'd like some space where I can really relax."

"Ok. I'm here, baby. We'll talk more about it later if you want."

David smiled tiredly. "Ok. Love you."

"Love you too." McGee gave him another hug and a quick kiss before picking up the phone and calling for a car from the hotel.

NCIS

Tim was late leaving NCIS and quickly drove back to the hotel. He impatiently tapped his foot as the elevator crept up the shaft. He sprinted down the hallway and after quickly swiping his key he swung open the door.

"David?" he said excitedly.

Jethro bounded to the door, but Tim didn't see David. He saw what looked like the remnants of dinner on the table, and heard the faint sound of music coming from the bedroom. Tim took off his shoes and walked into the bedroom as he took off his suit jacket. He found David asleep face down next to his laptop. The music was a slow jazz that came from a small radio next to the bed.

"David?" Tim whispered.

David gave a faint hum in response. Tim smiled and continued undressing. He tapped on David's laptop to wake it up. There was a tab open for a townhouse for rent in Silver Spring not very far from their current apartment. With another smile, he walked back around to David's side of the bed and gently ran his fingers up the black lines on David's back.

David sleepily moaned in approval. "I hope that's my Timmy and not a bellhop getting handsy."

Tim slid into bed behind David and leaned in next to his ear. "Well I did have an undercover role as a bellhop once. I might even be able to find the uniform in storage." He playfully nipped at David's earlobe.

David moaned again, and with a smile he turned over and gave Tim a kiss. "You're in a good mood for being late."

"I had a lot of research and accounting work to do, but I heard four absolutely wonderful words today: 'Cleared for field duty.' Therapist said she didn't get the sense that there was any reason to not be in the field, and said that we seem to have a good support system between us."

"Oh really? Did you staple a $100 bill to the report to get her to say that? Because I absolutely _hate_ you…" David said as he slowly slid a hand behind to Tim's hip and crept it downward. "… and I have absolutely _no_ intention of moving with you into this wonderful place I found for us online."

"Mmm… I can tell that you really despise me if you're listening to music I got you into."

"It's relaxing. It reminds me of being back home while you're writing and I'm with Jethro on the couch. I kinda hope you start writing again just so we can have that time again."

"I like the sound of that. Show me the place you found." Tim reached an arm around David to bring the laptop closer to them and then put his hand on David's chest.

David clicked through the pictures of the townhouse. It was a middle unit, 2 stories plus a basement, with light tan siding and white accents. It opened up into the living room with a closet and stairs up and down on the right. A window on the front shone light on the hardwood floors. There was a small bathroom off the living room, and an archway led to the dining room and small kitchen. In the back of the dining room there was a set of sliding doors that led out to a small, fenced-in yard. Upstairs were three bedrooms along with one full master bathroom and one full guest bathroom. The basement was unfinished, but had plenty of potential for storage and recreation.

Tim spoke softly and seductively into David's ear, "Three bedrooms? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"One guest room and a private writing room." David nuzzled into Tim's embrace. "Private as in closed off, but you better believe there will be a couch in there for me to sit with you."

"Ooohhhh… you are too good to me. You sure you want to rent, not buy?"

"Rent, definitely, since we're looking to move quickly. Trust me, buying a house takes a while. I like the idea of renting and maybe offering to buy the place from the owners if we like it enough. I can deal with the small kitchen, but I have to have the yard. What about you? Do you like it?"

"I do. I think we can afford it, too. Can we see it this weekend?"

"I'll call them tomorrow. I wanted to see what you thought."

Tim nibbled his way down David's collar. "I think… that you've worked hard enough for one day, and I think we should get dessert for while we watch that movie," Tim pointed at the TV.

"If you keep doing that, we won't make it through the movie," David breathed.

"I know."

David's lips curled into an evil smirk. "Make sure they bring whipped cream."


	17. Chapter 17

NCIS

Life slowly returned back to normal over the course of the next month. After four days at the hotel they regained access to the apartment. The first thing that Tim did in the apartment before David got there was throw out the coffee table that he never wanted either of them to remember. Their visit to the rental townhouse went well, and they signed the lease agreement for the start of April.

It took Tim, Tony and Abby more time to adjust to Ziva's absence, but the bond between them all grew stronger as time went on. Tim and David both began spending more time with Tony and Abby outside of work as a result. Gibbs was always invited, but rarely interfered in their personal lives. Tim and David visited Tony's apartment often for social and work calls. They assisted Tony with upgrading his TV and sound system for movie nights. Abby came over a few times to knead bread dough for stress relief as instructed by David. Tony would also sometimes come over to stay overnight for the company and the food. He never left on an empty stomach.

David occupied most of Tim's work time with numerous visits to potential business sites. The managers from his bakery approved of the plan to pool their resources to buy the business from him. He was also approved for a small business loan so he could establish the new location while the legal and financial work for the sale of the old one was in progress. He had narrowed his findings to a place in Bethesda to the west of Silver Spring. David's wounds healed so he could walk almost normally again, and his insurance paid out for the destroyed house and for the repairs to his car.

Tony and McGee had convinced Gibbs that it was time to look for a replacement for Ziva. They had already struck out once, but they had a potential new girl waiting in the wings. After getting nowhere with their casework, McGee and Tony went out to dinner and had David and Abby join them. The four of them sat outside a local pizzeria. Tim, David, and Abby were talking freely, though Tony seemed distracted.

"So David," Abby started, "How's the bakery hunt going?"

"Pretty good. I just signed the paperwork for the place in Bethesda. It's more expensive, but I've set aside part of the money from the house to offset those costs. Bethesda is a bit more upscale though, so I'm projecting a higher profit margin."

"That's awesome! Glad that's working out. Are you guys doing anything special for your anniversary next month?"

"Not sure yet," David said, then put his hand over Tim's. His fingers brushed over the smooth titanium ring he bought for Tim once his replacement credit cards came in the mail.

McGee chimed in, "With the bakery move and the apartment move, it's been a bit chaotic. Once we get settled in, we'll see."

Abby nodded and took a bite of her pizza.

"How was work for you guys today?" David asked.

"Doc pulled the plug on my DiMarco interview," McGee said through a mouthful of salad. "Said the strain was too much for his weakened heart."

"Yeah," Tony said, staring off into space.

They looked up at Tony and saw that he wasn't really there. Tony had been like that a lot since Ziva had left. Sometimes he was able to focus again, but it had definitely gotten worse lately.

"Gibbs signed off on the new girl, Rebecca Hastings," McGee continued. "Seems like a pistol. Or a firecracker? Spitfire? Whatever. Doesn't seem like she'll crack like that DEA girl."

"Was she the ' _Power Putty'_ girl?" Abby asked with a snicker.

"Yeah, nearly broke Tony's hand. Right, Tony?" McGee looked up at him.

Tony stood up, still not seeming to be focused anywhere but on his thoughts. He walked away from their table like he hadn't just gotten food. The remaining three looked at each other, then McGee stood up first to go after him. David left some cash on the table, then he and Abby linked arms and caught up with the others. McGee reached Tony who was standing at a crosswalk waiting for the light. David and Abby stood just behind them.

"I've been thinking about buying some tight red leather pants. David says they'll cradle my butt real well and look good while I tie him up," McGee made up on the spot.

David and Abby stifled chuckles.

"It's not normal," Tony finally blurted out.

"I'm kidding, we don't do that-"

"It's not normal that we haven't heard from Ziva," Tony continued as they all started crossing the street. "I mean, nothing! Not in this much time. It's not normal."

"Well, maybe she just wants to make a clean break of it," McGee reasoned.

"Well, maybe from some of us but not all of us." Tony frowned. He could definitely see Ziva never wanting to speak to him again, but none of the rest of the team had heard from her either. "Unless you did something to her you're not telling me about, I don't see why she wouldn't even respond to your messages."

"Me too," Abby added. "It's weird that Ziva hasn't contacted me either. It'd be one thing if she just hadn't picked up the phone and called me, but I've tried to reach her several different ways."

They reached Tony's car and each leaned over the top.

Tony smartly asked, "Psychics, crystals, or telepathy?"

Abby pointed her finger into his face and retorted, "No jokes, ok? Ziva is universally absent. It's freaking me out."

"Like I said, it's not normal," Tony repeated.

McGee thought about it, and he could only agree. "No, it's not."

"See? Thank you. What if she can't contact us, huh? What if something's stopping her?"

"Or someone," McGee wondered.

"Yeah. I'm not the only one thinking this, am I?"

"No. Tony, do you know something we don't? Why all of a sudden this train of thought?"

Tony looked over at David and said, "David, you're sworn to NCIS secrecy about this, ok?"

"Goes without saying," David swore with a raise of his hand.

Tony continued, "This afternoon in MTAC I heard Gibbs talking with someone in Chad. They confirmed reports of terrorists groups relocating, one of which had a woman with them. Which means Gibbs is thinking about it too, only he's not talking about it to us or Vance."

"So what are we gonna do about it?" McGee asked.

"'We?' You're gonna help?"

"Please," McGee said dryly, "no way in hell can you do this alone."

"And no way in hell will you even get close without me either. I'm in," Abby added, putting her hand in the center of the car's roof.

McGee added his hand.

"Me too," David joined. "If we're finding Ziva, we're finding her as a family. I may not be able to help much on the research, but I can keep this little _Rogue Squadron_ fueled and offer some perspective."

Tony put his hand in with a smile, then looked at the others and said, "Vance will have all our asses if we're caught."

"Especially with a civilian," McGee added, looking cautiously at David.

"You want me out?" David asked, looking at the rest of them.

McGee smiled. "I didn't say that."

They all looked at each other with conspiring smiles and got into the car.

NCIS

The secret investigation into Ziva's disappearance occupied their nights for over a month. Between cases and after their shifts, McGee, Tony, and Abby congregated in the lab to continue gathering data on Ziva's movements under Mossad. David sent food and coffee with McGee every morning, but would usually meet them later at night with refills for all. Other than their weekends, the only weeknight that they took off was on David and Tim's anniversary. David surprised Tim by having the whole team, including an almost-protesting Gibbs, come over for a cookout at the new house as an official housewarming.

After serving dinner, David stood in front of them at the table and spoke. "Thank you all for coming, I know that anniversaries are usually celebrated in private but I wanted you all here because of how much of a part you've played in our lives. Tim and I literally would not have made it this far without you, so this seemed appropriate. Also, with the opening of my bakery there was something else I wanted to announce." David passed a few pamphlets out around the table.

Each pamphlet had a logo for David's new business which read "The Cakewalk" in a stylish red font. Just under the main text was "by David McGee" in small white script. On each side of the text there were cartooned cakes, pastries and coffee cups piled up together. Abby's was the first to break the silence.

"Wait… 'by David McGee?' That means…"

Tim's jaw dropped when he saw it as well, then he pulled stood up and pulled David by his shirt into a tight embrace. He wanted to kiss him, but decided to wait until they were in private to give the best possible kiss. "You changed your name to McGee?" he asked.

"Not yet, but I will after the wedding. Think of it as a kind of anniversary and very early wedding gift in one," David said. He turned to everyone else. "I just got these back from the designer and couldn't resist showing you. Grand opening is in one month."

Tony cackled and leaned back in his chair. "YES! I've been saving SO many _McNames_ for this moment! _McBaked, McMuffinMan, McDoughboy,"_ then he gasped, "You should name the bakery _Bun in the McOven-_ " his suggestion was cut off by a swift head-smack from Gibbs.

David went into the kitchen and brought out a smooth, round chocolate cake that had a set of keys drawn in gold icing on it. David served them each a slice of cake and a mug of their favorite brew of coffee. They clinked their mugs together in cheers, and dug in.

"A bit early to be changing the name," Gibbs pointed out.

"Maybe a bit," David admitted, "but I'm an optimist and, thanks to Tim rubbing off on me, I'm planning ahead. If I keep the business name as 'O'Malley,' at some point I'll definitely have to change it. If I have it as 'McGee' pre-emptively, there's only a small chance of me having to change it back."

" _A small chance_?" Tim asked in a sarcastically shocked tone.

David defensively shrugged. "Well, suppose one day you tell me that _Firefly_ deserved to be cancelled?"

Tim's eyes went wide and he slammed his hand on his chest to steady himself. "I'd never!"

"Or what if you cheer for the Yankees?"

Tim tilted his head. "Who?"

Tony rolled his eyes.

David continued with a smile, "Or what if you order your steak well done?"

Even Gibbs slightly cringed. He was not picky about much, but steak wasn't something to overcook even when cooked in a fireplace.

Tim took David's hand and smiled. "I think we'll be just fine." David smiled teasingly back.

"Have you guys set a date for the wedding?" Abby asked excitedly.

"Not yet," Tim answered. "We're waiting to see what passes through legislation so we know what our best options will be for the legal aspect of everything. Maybe something in time for next summer." He looked into David's eyes and remembered the dreams he had of their wedding on the beach, wondering if that would be a possibility.

"I have a feeling we'll get a discount on the cake," David teased. "Honestly, I think the toughest decision in the whole planning process will be deciding on a theme for the cake. There's so much potential."

"If it's anything like this one, you'll need to make two," Tony moaned as he savored the taste of the chocolate cake. "Damn."

Gibbs set down his coffee mug, then looked at the four of them. "So how's the investigation going?"

Their smiles disappeared and they froze like deer in headlights.

Tony hesitantly began, "Well I think DiMarco's the drug pusher we've been looking for."

"Not what I'm talking about, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied. "You let a civilian witness an unsanctioned federal investigation. Vance could have your badge, amongst other things."

"Gibbs, that's my own fault," David tried to interject, "I just bring them coffee and food, they don't-"

Gibbs silenced him with a look, then turned to the other three. "You better get a story straight about what you're up to before Vance or the new girl starts asking questions. And you," he looked back at David, "stop using your name when ordering food for them in the middle of the night."

"So… you're not gonna…?" Tim stammered.

"Tell you to stop? Don't let it interfere with your day-to-day work and don't let me catch him-" nodding at David "-looking at something classified and I won't have reason to."

The other four looked at each other and Tony agreed, "I think we can manage that."

NCIS

David arrived early in the evening at NCIS after McGee texted him that they closed their case and could get started early. He carried a cup holder with three large coffees and a large _'Caf-POW!'_ to the desk. The desk attendant had become familiar with David's visits and had already written out the visitor pass by the time he made it from the door to the desk. Abby greeted him at the door to her lab and picked up her liquid lifeline with a kiss on David's cheek.

"Hey guys," he called as he strolled in. "Alright, where are we?"

"We've been tracking Ziva's movements since she stayed in Israel," McGee began, standing up from his desk to give David a quick kiss and taking his own coffee cup.

"Where she took Rivkin's place on the Kidon unit, right?" David asked, offering Tony's cup to him but not leaning in for a kiss.

"Right," Tony answered, "but her trail ends there."

They each looked pensively at their drinks as their brains processed their next steps. They paced around the table while they bounced ideas off each other, eventually turning to look at Abby's computer.

McGee continued, "We've got NCIS on the ground in Dubai trying to figure out what Mossad is up to."

"While Mossad's trying to figure out what some terrorist is doing," Tony added.

"And somewhere in the middle of this is Ziva," Abby finished.

"Meanwhile, Gibbs is doing his own investigation, obviously," David said, standing next to the others looking at Abby's workstation. "And he's thinking the director knows more than he's letting on."

Abby folded her arms. "And no one's telling us anything, so we have two options."

"And they're both illegal," McGee muttered uncomfortably. "Hack into Mossad…"

"Or hack into Vance," Abby suggested determinedly.

"Oh that's it!" a voice said from behind them.

The four of them turned around to see the prospective agent, Rebecca Hastings, backing out of the lab with her hands up

"I'm out of here!" she said with attitude. "I'm done!"

They eyed where she stood curiously.

"So much for the daredevil," McGee said.

"Forgot about her," Tony added.

"Eh, I only brought drinks for four," David shrugged.

"Whatever," Abby muttered indifferently. "Let's get hacking."

Abby and McGee sat down at the computers, while Tony made his way out of the lab.

"I'll make sure she doesn't blab," he called back to them.

David turned back to McGee and Abby. "How well do Vance and Ziva's father communicate? Would Mossad keep him frequently updated on their movements?"

McGee shook his head. "Doubtful, which means with Vance we'd probably play catch-up."

"So start with Mossad, find who they're tracking and that's our target," David suggested.

"Good idea," McGee said with a nod.

Tony returned later that night after they had made more progress. The door to her lab was closed and locked, so he knocked. He heard shuffling around inside, then Abby opened the door slightly.

"Come on guys, it's just me," Tony said.

"Finally," Abby turned back into the lab. "David, you can come back out."

Tony entered the lab and saw McGee and Abby at the main desk. David came out of the back of the lab with a side station that he rolled up next to McGee's spot. McGee and Abby had the file hacking programs running, and David appeared to be running a translation program.

"What do we got?" Tony asked.

"I'm close to something, I can feel it," Abby said.

McGee looked back at him and explained, "We've gotten into Mossad's encrypted files, but they're not in English."

"I'm trying some basic translations," David added, "but the linguistics are really strange. We ended up looking through nursery rhymes before we made any progress, believe it or not. They don't just encrypt the documents and emails, they basically speak in riddles and reference these old stories as ways of communicating their reports discreetly."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "And somehow you doing translations doesn't count as reviewing classified documents?"

"I manage the translations remotely. This station powers the translation algorithm and helps me determine what riddle or rhyme is being referenced, but the output stays only on their screens. We did some testing of non-classified material to ensure accuracy."

Abby's computer beeped at her, then she excitedly patted McGee's shoulder.

"Oh my god, Oh my god! It's the goat!"

McGee's eyes went wide as he suddenly understood. "The goat…"

"Care to explain?" Tony asked.

Abby and McGee began explaining the Aramaic children's song, _Chad Gadya_ , to Tony and its relevance to the case while David brought it up with its English translation. As Abby and McGee broke into song, Tony looked over at David who merely whispered, "They've been singing it all night."

Tony looked at them with a confused grimace. "So, what's the goat?"

Abby started, "It's the information that McGee and I recovered from the burnt laptop in Ziva's apartment-"

"-with the location of a camp in North Africa run by a man named Saleem Ulman," McGee added.

"We gave it to Gibbs, Gibbs gave it to Vance, Vance gave it to Eli David, who read it, and then he put Ziva and a team of on a Jordanian freighter called the _Damocles_ ," Abby finished.

"Out of Aqaba," Tony muttered absentmindedly. "I got a call mentioning Mossad being interested in it. Find it."

"I'm trying," McGee admitted with a hint of frustration as he tapped rapidly on the keyboard. "There's no record of it appearing anywhere after May."

The elevator chimed, and they all scrambled to minimize the programs on their screens. David leapt up to sit on one of the tables and buried his nose in the nearest book he could find. Gibbs came in to see them each just sitting with nothing going on. "Knock it off. What do you got, Abs?"

She smiled and they all brought back up the data their screens. "We have her last known location, a freighter called the _Damocles_. Only problem now is that we can't find the freighter after it left Aqaba, but we're digging for that."

Gibbs gave her a grim look. "Don't. The _Damocles_ was lost at sea. Went down in a storm."

They all paused and looked at him in horror.

"Off the coast of Somalia," Gibbs continued. "There were no survivors."

Tim backed up slowly. His heart and his stomach sank deeper than the floor. His hand slowly reached behind him, and David quickly grasped it. David didn't know Ziva nearly as well as the rest of them, but they had talked enough while she had been around that David still considered her a friend.

"No…" Abby pleaded. Her eyes welled with tears.

Gibbs reached out and brought her into an embrace. He kissed the side of her head.

"No!" she sobbed heavily into Gibb's jacket.

Tony was frozen in place. His face was stuck between disbelief, sorrow and anger. Tim felt his eyes start to water, and David reached up and wrapped his arms around him. Tim was barely breathing.

"I'm sorry, baby…" David whispered.

While maintaining a hold on Tim, David reached a comforting hand out to Tony.

"No," Tony snapped, backing away from all of them. "No." He shook his head defiantly and stormed out of the lab.

NCIS

Tim was unresponsive for the entire drive back home. David wanted to say something as he drove but wasn't sure what to say or even if Tim wanted to hear anything other than they were wrong about Ziva being dead. Tim didn't even consider that now his own car was still parked at NCIS and they'd have to drive in together tomorrow. Tim's mind was still stuck in the basement just after hearing the news and in the bullpen where Ziva's desk radiated emptiness now more than ever. As David pulled into the space in front of the house, Tim reached over and put the car in park and motioned as if he were pulling out an invisible key from the ignition. It took him a moment to realize he wasn't in the driver's seat, but he shook off the mistake and wordlessly exited the car. David followed him into the house, but stayed behind as Tim walked upstairs straight into his writing office. David listened carefully for the sound of the door closing, and shut his eyes after hearing the soft click of the lock.

Tim hadn't even recognized that he blocked David from being able to be close to him, but instead was so focused on getting to his typewriter that he barely even remembered how he got there. He swiped off the cover, rolled in a piece of paper, and began typing. At first his clicks were soft as he began to free write. He didn't even look at the page as he wrote, but he kept typing and the typewriter chimed with each line. David sat outside the door with Jethro listening for an hour as Tim's typing gradually got louder and faster. Tim was lost in thought and barely even noticed how hard he was hammering down on the typewriter or how hot the tears were down his face. His hands were shaking as he had to load in a new piece of paper, but it made it in. David could hear Tim's unsteady breathing and sobbing, and felt helpless as he was locked outside. Tim kept trying to type, but he could feel the increasing number of mistakes he was making with each word and felt his entire process crumble.

David stood up and gently tapped on the door when the clicking stopped. "Tim?" He softly called through the door in his own choking voice.

Tim's trance was broken, and he finally recognized where he was and what was happening. He went over to the door and barely had it open before he flung himself into David's embrace. David held him tight and ran a hand up his back through his hair. Tim trembled in his arms, and tried to speak but all that came out were strained breaths. David merely nodded and kept his hold. Tim tried harder and harder to say something, something he needed to get out. David felt that something was wrong, so he pulled back and looked into Tim's eyes. He saw the strain of what needed to be said, and looked back at the typewriter. There was still most of an empty page left, so he steered Tim back to it and sat him in the chair.

"Type it. Whatever it is, type it."

Tim's hands shook, but they eventually found their movement over the keys and began typing.

" _If I type it, it's real. I don't want it to be real. It's not supposed to be real."_ David could hear Tim's pained voice from the page.

"It doesn't matter. You have to let it out before it breaks you," David replied.

" _But I can't give up on her._ "

"I know, but driving yourself crazy with grief will never bring her back. Believe me, I've tried." David put his arms around Tim from behind and held him tight. "I know you. If you don't let this out, you will sit here and never be able to move again. I'm here, baby. You have to let it out."

Tim's hands shook so hard that he hit the Z twice as he started to type, " _Zziva_ _is dea" -_ He slammed his fists down on the table and sobbed as he couldn't bring himself type the last letter. David squeezed him from behind and gently cried with him. There were no more words that either of them wanted or were able to say.


	18. Chapter 18

NCIS

The wind whipped at Tim's face as he stood on the deck of the large ship. The ocean roared around him, and he tasted the salt on the ocean spray. It was dark, but he could still see the waves. He looked around, and on the outside of the ship he saw dark, wispy letters organize themselves to read ' _Damocles_.' He reached out to feel the letters, but he was now in a cramped hallway below deck. The thud of his boots on the metal floor echoed around him, and he heard the shouting of men in foreign languages. Tim looked back down the hallway, and he saw _her_ at the end of the tunnel.

" _Ziva!"_ he shouted, but his words fell flat after a few feet.

She turned to look at him for a moment. Her face was sad and solemn. She turned away, opened a metal door at the end of the hall and closed it behind her. Tim ran down the hall towards her. Water rose from the floor, and his steps splashed under him. He reached the door and opened it, but water gushed out and slammed him down onto the floor. The water turned to cold air, and he was in darkness. He looked over to his left and saw Ziva tied to a chair under a singular cone of light. He tried to get up, but he couldn't move. Out of the darkness a disembodied hand brandished a gun at her.

" _ZIVA!"_ he yelled again.

The gunshot echoed around and within him, and Ziva and the hand were both gone. Just the chair remained in the light. The emptiness consumed him.

David was woken up by Tim tossing and turning in his sleep. He heard him softly speaking gibberish, like he was talking in his dream. David turned over to see him, and saw he was sweating through his shirt and breathing heavily. It was still dark outside, just after 0300 according to Tim's alarm clock. He kept trying to make out what Tim was saying.

"Zee…"

"Tim?" David nudged him a little with his hand.

"Zee!" Tim moaned again.

"Tim?" David nudged him again with his hand on Tim's chest.

"ZIVA!" Tim shouted as he woke up sharply, gripping David's arm with both hands and sitting bolt upright.

David was startled and fell back a little bit on the bed, but then sat back up and put his hands on Tim's. Tim was panting and disoriented, but after a moment he started to calm down and realize where he was. Jethro whined at the commotion and put his front paws on the edge of the bed to see what was going on.

"Baby, it's ok," David soothed calmly, "it was just a nightmare. I'm here."

Tim put his head in his hands while trying to shake it off. David flipped on the light on the nightstand, then moved over to hold Tim. Tim was shaking and still breathing heavily.

"Shh… I've got you," David reassured him.

"It felt so real," Tim gasped between breaths. He was still shaking but was starting to slow down.

"Just take a minute, deep breaths, then tell me about it."

"I- I'm not even sure how to describe it. I could see Ziva for a moment, then she was gone. Not like I just couldn't see her, but… I _felt_ that she was…" his voice was caught in his throat.

"Oh baby… I'm sorry."

Tim felt sick. "It was so real."

"I've got you, baby. It's going to be ok. Come here," David pulled Tim's head into his chest and held him.

Tim had been having more nightmares about Ziva recently, and they never let him get to sleep after. David knew that Abby was also having trouble sleeping, and could easily guess that Tony was as well even though he refused to talk about it. Without relinquishing his hold on Tim, David reached over for his phone and texted Abby.

 **David:** _You up?_

David waited for the text back. Over the last week, Abby came over twice in the middle of the night because she couldn't sleep. It was a 50/50 chance that tonight would be the third night. He had texted Tony on the other occasions but never heard back, so he left a standing invitation. After a few minutes, his phone buzzed.

 **Abby:** _Yeah. Can't sleep._

 **David:** _You know the drill._

David kissed Tim on the head, then stood them both up and led Tim downstairs to the couch. As David got dressed, he looked through the open door across to the writing room and saw the typewriter with the used paper still in it. Tim hadn't gone in there since that night where he admitted Ziva's death. David went back downstairs and gingerly put a housecoat on Tim, who was almost catatonic. Abby finally arrived in her pajamas and sat cross-legged on the floor next to the coffee table, absentmindedly petting Jethro. David made them each a mug of hot chocolate and brought them over. He sat down next to Tim and put his arm around him. They each moved slowly and sipped quietly. It was nearly 20 minutes before anyone said anything.

"Was it a nightmare again, Tim?" Abby asked.

Tim silently nodded.

"I'm not sure which is worse," she said, "having nightmares or not getting to sleep at all."

Tim finally spoke. "Given the choice, I'd rather never sleep again than have another nightmare like that one."

David rubbed Tim's back and looked at him with concern. "It's not supposed to be easy, but it'll get better. I don't think I slept right for about a month after Kevin died. It was a couple of years before I really slept all the way through the night and felt really refreshed and ready for the next day."

"What made that happen?" Abby asked.

"Some guy kept me up late playing and chatting in an online game." David squeezed Tim, who closed his eyes and gave an almost-smile at the recognition. "He made me remember that there were still people still out there that made life bearable. I played for so long because I didn't want it to end, but after almost falling asleep twice during a raid, we had to call it a night. But I smiled that next morning remembering it."

"Don't know if that'll help with this." Abby looked down.

"I know," David agreed. "I'm worried about Tony. He's pushing us all away when right now is when we all need each other the most."

"He's been distant at work, too," Abby observed quietly. "I've tried to talk to him but he really just listens. Even then, I'm not sure if he's listening or just on autopilot."

"It just doesn't feel right," Tim muttered.

David leaned into Tim and rubbed him again. "Do you want me to call Mitch and reschedule Saturday? I'm sure they'll understand."

"No," Tim quickly replied. "No, I don't want this to interfere. It's an important weekend."

"I know, but you haven't slept well in days. You should have some space."

"I'll be ok. Like you said, we have to stick together now more than ever. It'll be good to get to know your side of the family."

"I wish there was more I could do to help," David lamented. "I hate seeing you guys like this."

Tim leaned into David's chest. "Just be here."

David held Tim with one arm and reached the other out to Abby, who took his hand and nodded.

NCIS

"McGee! Get packed, we're going." Tony's voice rang through McGee's ears. Tony sped down the stairs from Vance's office and into the bullpen.

McGee frowned and stood up from his desk. "'We?'"

Tony reached his desk and lowered his voice. "Vance needs confirmation of Saleem's camp before they can go in, so you and I are doing the recon then they send in the cavalry."

"And Gibbs?"

"Part of the cavalry. We'll coordinate the rest en route."

McGee's Agent Autopilot came on, and even without a full plan in place yet he grabbed his gear and was on the move. "When do we leave?"

"Two hours. Get home, get packed, and let's go."

McGee sprinted to his car and headed home. It wasn't until he saw the light from the living room window that he realized that he'd have to tell David that he was leaving. David never had a problem when it came to Tim going for a routine mission somewhere, but this was far from routine. This was the first major terrorist Tim had gone after since they had been together, and it was by far the most dangerous assignment he'd taken as well. Tim stood outside the door in the dark with his heart pounding. It would be their last moment together for a while, and if things didn't go well in Africa it would be the last time David would ever see him alive. Tim took a deep breath and entered.

Jethro bounded up to meet Tim, and David stood up from the couch with a smile on his face and came over to give Tim a kiss.

"Hey baby, how was work?" David said after taking Tim's bag from him and setting it in the corner near the door.

Tim tried to look at him but couldn't. He looked at the floor and brushed past David on his way upstairs to the bedroom.

David's smile dropped as he followed. "Bad?"

' _Just do it,'_ he thought to himself. "David, I… I have to go away. And I'm not sure for how long. I have to leave quickly."

"Ok, you're scaring me. What is it?" David said, following him and sitting on the side of the bed.

Tim struggled to meet David's eyes. After a fraction of a second he had to look away at the floor again. He took David's hands in his, then whispered, "North Africa."

David's face froze. "They found Ziva's body?"

"No. I… We…" Tim stammered.

David slowly withdrew his hands as it dawned on him. "You're going after Ulman."

Tim nodded.

"No," David said sternly as he stood up. "No. Absolutely not. That's not your job. There's no reason why you to have to go."

"Yes there is," Tim said, also rising to his feet. "He's a known terrorist and we have to stop him. That _is_ my job."

"Then send a strike team or the army or people trained for this! You're a Navy Investigator. You belong here!" David's voice was slightly raised but not approaching yelling.

Tim could see David was starting to shudder like he normally did when he was nervous. He knew David would be angry, but he needed to get them past it. If it was going to be their last time together, he didn't want it to be remembered by anger.

"We can't do that. Not until we know for sure where he is. Tony and I are going to find out. We have to leave soon, though."

David's jaw dropped. "Both of you? What the- ok, ok," he said, trying to keep calm. "What is the plan here?"

Tim spoke as he changed out of his suit and into his desert gear. "We have to get into Saleem's camp to make sure he's there. Once we verify that, the rest come in and sweep it."

"Ok, so why you?"

Tim looked down at him. "What do you mean?"

"Why _you_?" David repeated. His voice trembled slightly. "Why not send someone else that's part of some kind of counter-terrorism team to do this? NCIS already has people out there, you even said it."

"Vance can't commit them until we know for sure. It would be considered an unauthorized attack. If he sends me and Tony, we're non-military and just scouting the area. The backup will know if we get captured." The word 'captured' came out of his mouth faster than he could stop it.

David heard the word and full-on shouted, "OVER MY _DEAD BODY_! What the fuck is wrong with him?! He know this guy's somewhere in there but he'd rather send two unarmed agents to be captured and killed first?!"

" _THIS ISN'T UP FOR DEBATE!_ " Tim shouted over him. He rarely raised his voice, least of all to David, but he knew before he walked in that David wouldn't let this go quietly. He cursed himself for letting the word 'captured' escape. His breathing was faster and hard. "I'm sorry David, but this guy killed Ziva, he's got more hostages, and he will kill again. I don't have time for this right now. Please, I need you to calm down and understand that this is what I have to do and that we'll figure this out."

"Understand? You want me to understand? You're telling me you're going on a suicide mission, Tim! You're telling me you're BAIT! Am I really just supposed to stand here and let you leave like that?!"

"YES! It's the only option we have!"

" _BULLSHIT!_ " David's voice was cracking and tears were starting to well in his eyes. "I REFUSE to believe that sending the man I love to be killed is the only option left when you're still here standing right in front of me! This can't be the only way!"

Tim moved closer to David but there was still some distance. Tim felt the lump in his own throat and the stinging in his eyes. "David, we've been here before. My assignments are always dangerous. This is no different!" He was trying to play down the mission, but he had trouble convincing himself when it came to the details.

"Oh, it's plenty different! A dead marine on a battleship is a far cry from intentionally walking into a terrorist camp!"

"This is bigger than that, David. We have to stop him before he does something much worse to more people. I know this is hard, but if he's allowed to keep killing because we didn't take the opportunity to stop him, then that will be worse than anything else. If his group somehow killed you…" Tim shook his head, looking pleadingly at David, "I just couldn't live with myself."

David's reply was weaker and shaky. "No…" He turned away and moved his hand up to his face to hide and brush away the tears. David knew Tim was right, but he'd never been faced with a more likely possibility that Tim wouldn't come back. Images of his late husband's body in a morgue flashed in his head, and the pain emerged from his memory renewed by the thoughts of Tim being next to him. David leaned against the wall looking down.

Tim closed the distance between them and took David's hands. He finally met David's desperate eyes. "David, you promised me you wouldn't let this get in the way of us."

"Tim, please," David sniffed.

"I have to do this. I know it looks bad right now, but you've got to believe we'll figure this out. We have to move fast, but we'll make it out of there."

David leaned into Tim's chest and gripped him tight. "Please, don't go. Don't leave me behind. What if he's there and something really does happen to you? I can't help you if you're trapped out there. Please."

Tim wrapped his arms around him and held as tight as he could. His own tears fell into David's hair, and David's trembling met his own. He didn't realize how scared he himself was and how much he suddenly didn't want to go. Whenever dangerous assignments came up before he met David, he was on autopilot and never even paused to think about it because he never felt like he had much to lose. Nothing else mattered when the orders came. Now the only thing in the world that really mattered to him was in front of him begging him not to go on a mission he'd most likely not walk away from, and it broke his heart to have to refuse. "Baby, I need you to be strong for me. That's how you can help me. I'll be back."

David looked back up at him, still in his arms. "Be honest with me, Tim," his voice still quaked. "Do you know that? Do you absolutely know that you will be coming back?"

Tim would've given anything to be able to lie to David in that moment. He would've done anything to make sure that his eyes stood stock still while he told David that he would definitely be back. He saw pain and grief in the eyes of the man he loved and knew he needed to lie to stop it. But he couldn't. Tears still streamed down both of their faces, and Tim brought his head down to meet David's.

"I know you've already lost so much. I can't imagine the terrible memories you're reliving right now. I want to tell you that you won't lose me because I can't bear the thought of causing you more pain by telling you that you might." Tim pulled David's hand up to his own heart. "But as long as this still beats, I'll find my way home to you. I gave you this ring as a promise of that. You have to trust me."

David put his head back onto Tim's chest, and Tim closed his eyes as they rocked gently back and forth as they stood together. David nodded into Tim's shirt shirt. "Ok," he croaked quietly. "Oh god Tim, I'm so scared. It's not you I don't trust, it's _them_."

"I know. But I'll do everything possible to make sure I'll come back. Please promise me you'll be waiting for me." Tim needed to hear it not just for David's sake but for his own.

"I promise. I'll wait forever if I have to, and I'll take care of you when you come home. I love you."

"I love you too."

"When do you have to go?" David asked after a moment.

"I only have a few minutes, then I have to get back to NCIS then the airport."

"I'm going with you. As far as I can go."

"You and Abby can come with us to the airport. I want her to stay with you while I'm gone. You'll both need to be there for each other. And I don't want you cancelling on your brother tomorrow, either. Keep family close and keep yourself busy while I'm gone, ok?"

"Ok. Just… please stay here with me a little longer," David whispered.

Tim silently nodded and ran his fingers through David's hair. He took in the feeling of every touch in case it would be the last time.

NCIS

The drive to NCIS seemed to happen in slow motion. They couldn't find any more words to say, but instead they kept their hands glued together. David made every excuse to use his one hand for anything involving the drive to avoid relinquishing the other's hold on McGee. Even getting out of the car, they broke hands for only a moment before rushing around the car for a tight hug, then they held hands on the way in. McGee didn't care who saw.

As they reached the bullpen, they saw Tony, Gibbs, and Abby all waiting. Abby was nervously tapping her feet and had her arms folded until she saw them. She rushed over and wrapped McGee in a vise-grip hug. David released McGee's hand so he could hug her too, but then turned over to Tony and pulled him in for a hug of his own.

"Be careful, Tony," David said.

Tony nodded. "I will."

Abby still held onto McGee and they rocked back and forth. David looked over at Gibbs, whose face was stone solid and focused. David went over to Gibbs' desk. The man didn't look like someone who would accept a hug in this moment, but David didn't care. Gibbs was slightly surprised when David hugged him, and hesitantly embraced David.

"Bring him back to me. Please," David said quietly.

"I will," Gibbs whispered. He turned to the rest of the team and said, "Let's go."

The five of them marched to the elevator and went down to the car. Gibbs drove, Tony sat in the front seat, and McGee sat in the middle seat between David and Abby. Not a word was spoken the entire drive to the airport. When they parked and exited the car, Abby grabbed McGee and hugged him again, then went over to Gibbs and Tony to do the same. McGee turned to David and tenderly embraced him.

"I'll be alright." McGee's eyes sparkled.

David nodded. His eyes welled again as he looked into McGee's, but something in them now held confidence instead of doubt and guilt. McGee looked ready now, much more than he did earlier. That comforted David, but in the scale of things he still was uneasy. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have tried to make you stay because of my own fears. This is who you are, and you're strong enough and smart enough to get through this."

McGee smiled and shook his head. "If you had just let me go, I would've been worried. I know you just want me to stay safe, but I promise this will be worth it."

"My Superman," David whispered. "Go save the world, then get your ass back here. I'll be waiting."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too."

McGee gave him a soft kiss, then turned and walked down the runway with Tony and Gibbs towards the C-130 waiting for them. Abby went over and reached for David's hand as they watched the other three board the plane. After it was airborne, Abby finally gave David a hug.

David asked, "They'll be alright, right?"

"It's never easy watching them go. But trust me when I say that if all three of them are going, the only one that should be worried is Saleem Ulman."

NCIS

Jethro barked at the sound of the knocking at the door. David nervously checked his appearance in the mirror one more time before heading downstairs to open the front door.

"Hey!" Mitch greeted excitedly.

"Hey Mitch!" David smiled and hugged his brother, then ushered him inside along with Beth who was carrying Riley. "Hey Beth, great to see you again," David grinned and kissed Beth on the side of the cheek.

Beth smiled back at David and swept her straight brown hair out of her face. She was slightly taller than David but shorter than Mitch. Her face was warm and inviting. Her jaw was slightly angled but her chin was rounded off. Her brown eyes seemed to smile on their own. She wasn't lanky like Mitch, but her figure had shed much of baby weight she had twice carried with her. "Hey David. Damn, you've bulked up!" She gently thumped on David's muscled arm.

"I make up for it here," David joked as he rubbed his softer chest. "I see the kids haven't made much of a mark on you. I'm impressed!"

"Believe me, it's because of the kids I've lost it. I bend over to pick things up so much it's like an all-day workout."

David looked around, perplexed. "Where's Owen? Don't tell me he can park the car already?"

Mitch and Beth both gagged in horror. Mitch spoke, "God, no. He's still only six despite whatever he might say. He has a friend's birthday party today, so he's staying with them. Where's Tim?"

David's smile dropped, but he tried to put it back up again. "He's been called away on work. It was pretty last-minute. He had to fly out last night."

"Oh no," Beth sighed. "I was looking forward to meeting him."

"I know, I really wanted him to meet you guys too. But our friend Abby is staying here while he's gone. Would it be alright if she came with us? She's just out getting _'Caf-POW!'._ "

Mitch and Beth looked at each other and shrugged. "Sure, the van has room."

"Ok, good. She's really cool. She works with Tim at NCIS."

A moment later, Abby burst through the front door. "I'm not late, am I?!" she asked energetically. Her eyes darted from Beth to Mitch. Before David could introduce her, she rapidly blurted out "Hi! I'm Abby!" and dove at each of them for a hug.

David covered his mouth with his hand to hide his sniggering at his company's shocked faces. "In case you missed it, this is Abby, and she's obviously about halfway through her morning caffeine kick."

Abby slowed for a moment when she saw Riley. "Oooh, hello!" she cooed calmly.

Riley reached out her hand slowly at one of the cuffs on Abby's wrist. It was black leather with loose chains around it that jingled when she moved. Abby smiled and rotated her wrist so the chains would jingle more until Riley grabbed one.

"She does that all the time," Mitch commented with a smile. "I don't even know how many key chains I've lost because of this girl."

David smiled, then clapped his hands. "Alright, let's get going!"

They piled into Mitch's minivan. Mitch and David sat in the front, while Beth and Abby sat in the back on either side of Riley's car seat. Abby kept jingling her wrist because it made Riley smile. David gave directions as Mitch tried to remember his last trip to DC.

"I want to say the last time was my eighth grade field trip," he guessed. "Is that when the school had you go?"

"I think it was eighth, yeah," David agreed. "I didn't come down here again until I met Tim last year."

Mitch looked in the rear-view mirror at Abby. "Abby, are you an NCIS agent too?"

"I'm not actually an agent, I'm a Lab Tech. I do all the forensics and analysis for them," she replied confidently.

They chatted about their various jobs and different things they had to do. Abby was describing the names she gave her different instruments when her phone chimed. She looked at it, then tapped David on the shoulder.

"Their plane landed," she whispered.

David exhaled and closed his eyes tightly. He reached behind the seat and squeezed her hand. Mitch looked over at him with concern before looking back at the road.

"It's dangerous, whatever he's doing, isn't it?" He asked knowingly.

David gulped and nodded.

"Is it the first time he's had to go away like this?"

"No, this is just a really tough one. I kinda flipped out last night before he left, but thankfully managed to calm down before he actually had to leave."

Beth gave him a comforting smile and reached up to put her hand on his shoulder. "You and Mitch are like clones. When I told him we were pregnant with Riley, he panicked so hard he nearly fainted all because we only had a two-bedroom apartment. After a while he calmed down but then was so excited that we were pregnant that we danced for an hour."

"But when she went into labor," Mitch continued, "I broke land speed records getting her to that hospital. I had them waiting outside with a wheelchair, a private room, chocolates, and a swear-word thesaurus in case she felt like getting creative. I'm sure you've already planned exactly what you're going to do when he gets back?"

David smiled sheepishly. "Tomorrow I'm going to the record exchange to get him a few more jazz records for his collection, then I'm making him his favorite breakfast the morning he gets back and serving it to him in bed. I'm gonna make sure he doesn't have to lift a finger when he gets back."

Beth chuckled as she reminisced. "You guys go a bit crazy at first, but when the chips are down you pull it together beautifully. I almost want to say it's genetic. I can't wait to see what happens when Riley first brings a boy home from school."

Mitch smiled, shook his head and looked back at David. "If I didn't go a little crazy when something a little crazy happens, how else would she know I care?"

"My god, Tim basically said the same thing about me," David admitted with a smile. "I think we really are clones."

They all smiled and laughed, and moved on to lighter conversation.

NCIS

In Dubai, McGee opened his wallet to see a picture of him and David together. He brushed over David's face with his thumb, then put it back in his gear bag. He looked up at Tony and Gibbs, who were each preparing weapons at their bunks.

Gibbs looked up at him, having just re-attached the barrel of his sniper rifle. "You ready?"

McGee strapped in his cleaned pistol and checked his boot-knife, then nodded.


	19. Chapter 19

NCIS

Tim felt the water rush around him as he sank downward into the ocean. His hands were bound in front of him, but the water felt so cool that he made no move to struggle or swim towards the surface. Tim wanted to breathe, but he wasn't allowed to move even to breathe underwater in a dream. Tim looked up to see the sun's light refracting through the water when it was blocked by someone diving down after him. The bubbles cleared, and he saw David swimming slowly down to reach him. The suit he wore billowed around him in the water, but he reached down and gently cupped Tim's head. He brushed their lips together and gently blew air down into Tim's lungs so he could breathe without moving.

David looked down at him and smiled. His voice softly whispered around him, _"Come back to me."_

Tim slightly panicked and shook his head slightly from side to side to warn him to stay quiet but so that only David could notice. David swam further down to level himself with Tim, then slipped under Tim's arms so his bound hands were behind David's neck and Tim could hold him.

David nuzzled against him, then whispered in his ear. _"It's time for you to be Superman. Come back to me."_

The water surged around them and boiled. The current forced them apart, and the sound of the raging water filled his ears. The roar was deafening, but it turned to the sound of a man shouting. Tim was snapped out of his dream by the sound of something slamming into a wall and liquid sloshing around. Tim kept his eyes closed and his breathing still as he was startled out of his exhausted slumber. The coolness of the water around him was replaced by hot, stale air and a dirty cement floor.

"You had to have your _'Caf-POW!'_ didn't you?" Tony's cocky voice said. "Hey, it's just a little chemical addiction, don't worry. Maybe you picked that up at your American college!"

Tim heard the thumping of Saleem Ulman's boots against the floor and the sound of the cell door opening.

"Hey, maybe we're not so bad!" Tony called after him from his chair. "You ought to rethink your master plan!"

Once Tim heard the door close, he breathed a little easier and discreetly peeked an eye open at Tony.

"You ok, McGee? You awake?"

"I was sleeping so peacefully," Tim murmured somewhat sarcastically. "Dreamt I was swimming."

"Lucky you."

"When do we move?"

"Not yet."

Tim peeked his eyes open a little more. "He's rattled. It may be our best shot."

"Not yet," Tony repeated. "Wait for my cue."

They heard voices outside, and Tim resumed his unconscious breathing and position. The door opened and Tim heard shuffling of more than just his captor's feet. Tim listened as Saleem continued his interrogation of Tony and sat a hostage down in front of him.

"One of you will tell me the identities and locations of all the U.S. operatives in the area, and the other one will die," Saleem said. Tim heard the hood being pulled off the hostage and a small gasp. Saleem continued, "I'll give you a moment to decide who lives."

Tim waited until he heard the door close, then peeked his eye open. _'ZIVA!'_ he thought to himself. He quickly and covertly looked to make sure the other guard wasn't there, then looked back at Tony and Ziva.

"Out of everyone in the world who could have found me, it had to be you," Ziva weakly muttered.

Tony groggily nodded his yeah, then with another cocky smile joked, "You're welcome."

"Are you alright, McGee?" Ziva asked.

"I'm just glad you're alive. I'm sure David and Abby will be, too."

"You thought I was dead…"

"Oh yeah," Tony confessed.

"Then why are you here?"

"Well, McGee had an odd number of people for his wedding party, and I just couldn't allow that to happen."

" _Tony_ ," she hissed, "why are you here?"

While Tony and Ziva talked, Tim assessed himself. The zip-tie around his hand was too tight to get a hand free but loose enough that he could rotate his hands to grab whatever necessary. He jiggled his legs to get circulation running well in case they needed to move quickly.

"Tony, you tell Saleem everything he wants to hear, and you try to save yourselves," Ziva ordered. "I am ready to die."

"That's not how it works," Tim called from the floor. "I promised David I'd be coming back, and since you just _had_ to show up, I guess we're bringing you too."

Ziva looked at Tony, who nodded in agreement. "You have an escape plan?" she asked.

Tony clicked his tongue and winked. Tim cracked his knuckles. They heard the sound of commotion outside.

"Ziva, can you fight?" Tony asked quickly.

Before she could answer, Saleem stormed into the cell.

"Hey Saleem," Tony teased. "What's the commotion?"

Tim listened to make sure the guard closed the door from the outside of the cell.

"We're moving out," Saleem answered as he crossed the cell to a nearby window.

"Oh, well that's good. I was getting kind of tired of this place."

"We're not taking prisoners."

Tim was ready and on alert. They needed to make their move fast.

"Oh well, ok, it was nice talking with you."

Tim peeked out of the corner of his eye to get Saleem's position.

"No, we're not done yet," Saleem responded by pulling out a knife and putting it against Ziva's throat.

"Actually, I think we are because I'd really love some _pizza_."

Tim heard the codeword and sprang into action. He kicked as hard as he could, taking Saleem's feet out from under him. The knife clattered to the floor and Tim dove for it. Saleem pulled out his pistol, but the only shot came from outside. It sliced through the window and met Saleem's head with high velocity. Rapid gunfire started outside. Tim took the knife and started cutting the ties on Tony's chair. Once he was free, Tim started on Ziva's ties but froze when a guard came in.

"Look out!" Tony shouted.

Another bullet from outside split the air and took down the guard. Tim finished cutting Ziva loose and picked up Saleem's pistol. Tim and Tony each took one of Ziva's arms and carried her out. Volleys of gunfire seemed to surround the camp, along with shouting of commands in various languages. The gunfire slowly died down, and they followed a trail of dead guards until they found Gibbs waiting for them calmly in one of the hallways.

"Let's go home," he said.

NCIS

The air conditioning felt nice on Tim's skin. He still felt grungy from everything and desperately wanted a shower, but more than anything he wanted to see David again. His anticipation grew as they reached NCIS. He wasn't able to call David to make sure he knew he had made it back, but Abby was most likely tracking their flights and keeping him updated. Tim's body was still adjusting from the prolonged exposure to the intense heat. Most of him ached, his lips were chapped, his face was sunburnt, his shirt was torn and his face had several cuts and a bruise on the side.

David, Abby, and Ducky waited anxiously outside the squad room. They team had been gone for three days and David had only heard from Abby just this morning that they were on their way back. He paced back and forth near the window twisting the ring on his finger. Abby and Ducky were huddled together near Ziva's desk, but they didn't say much. Vance was perched on the staircase waiting as well. They all jumped every time the elevator dinged.

The elevator opened, and the office seemed to be business as usual. As they exited, Vance began clapping for the returning group. The rest of the office joined in the applause, but Tim wasn't waiting to see the rest of the office. He saw Ducky and Abby, but once he rounded the wall he saw David waiting and his heart surged with relief. David turned around and saw Tim, then he ran to Tim and threw his arms around him. Tim gripped David so tight that he thought he heard David's back crack. Abby gave Ziva a tight hug, and Ducky went to give Tony a hug as Gibbs passed them.

David pulled back for a moment to examine Tim's face. He had noticed the cuts before but was too excited to see Tim to check them. His eyes were blurry with tears, but he gently ran one hand just above Tim's face gingerly avoiding the cuts and the sunburn. His other hand ran its fingers through Tim's hair. He could see the exhaustion in Tim's eyes. Tim felt like he could finally relax for the first time in days now that David's arms were back around him where they belonged.

"My god, baby, how bad is it? Does it hurt?" David asked.

After even that mission, David once again managed to make Tim smile just by being there. "It did, but it doesn't anymore." Tim didn't care that all eyes were on them at the moment. He took David's face in his hand and kissed him tenderly. The continued applause around them drowned out everything else. David's soft lips comforted Tim's chapped ones. The warmth of David's body was welcome, despite Tim's body wanting to cool down. They held each other securely, neither wanting to let the other go.

Their kiss broke and David nuzzled Tim's nose with his own. He wanted so much to feel Tim's face but didn't want to hurt him.

"I'm so happy you're ok," David said. His jaw quivered but he was still smiling.

"Told you I would be," Tim said with a smooth smile. "I thought of you every day, and that got me through."

David hugged him tighter and buried his face in Tim's collar. "Me too," he said quietly.

Tony started to nudge past them, but as he did David released one hand from his grip on Tim and pulled Tony backwards by his shirt for a group hug.

"Thank you," David whispered to Tony.

Tony smiled tiredly and squeezed David's forearm. "Don't thank me, thank _him_ ," he nodded towards Gibbs.

"I will, but still..."

Tony slid himself out from under David's arm and plopped himself down at his desk with a tired smile. Gibbs was already at his desk, grimacing at the attention of the whole office. Abby wanted to hug Tim and Ducky was hugging Ziva, so David took the opportunity to quickly cross over to Gibbs' desk. David saw the strained look on Gibbs' face, so he resisted the urge to hug him this time.

"Thank you for keeping him safe, Gibbs," David said from the other side of Gibbs' desk.

Gibbs gave an acknowledging half-smile and nodded, but was otherwise silent. David smiled back at him, then went immediately back to Tim's side. Tim had just enough energy to be on his feet, but was glad when David returned so he could gently lean on him. Ziva came over and gave David a hug as well, though David still shared the hug with Tim so he wouldn't have to release him again.

"Ziva… I'm so glad they were able to find you."

"Good to see you again, David," she replied exhaustedly.

They each smiled lightly and walked back to the bullpen. As the applause died down, Ziva sat down at her desk and David led Tim over to his desk.

"Can I get you anything?" David asked as Tim sat. "Water, wet towel?"

Tim groaned as he sat down and was grateful for the chance to relax. "I don't know. I can barely think right now. I had some water on the way, but I think I'd like some more."

"Ok, I'll grab you some." David kissed the top of Tim's head to avoid hitting any of the sunburnt area of his face, then he quickly walked down to the break room.

Tim sat there, dazed. He could feel his face tightening up where it was burnt, but the cool air was helping. He, Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs all exchanged silent looks of camaraderie as they each processed the situation. Abby sat down on Ziva's desk and quietly spoke to her, and David came back with two cups of water and a few paper towels.

"Here," he handed Tim one of the cups of ice water, which Tim gratefully accepted and drank. David then folded one of the towels and soaked it in the ice water in the other cup, then squeezed it gently to only wring some water out. "Here, this may sting a bit but it'll feel good after." He gently pressed it to Tim's forehead.

Tim groaned quietly in pleasure as the water dripped down his face. His reddened skin thirstily drank up the water and cooled off. David let the towel sit while he prepared the next one. He dabbed lightly at Tim's face trying to cool the skin and gently sweep off some of the dirt, grime, and dried blood.

"You don't have to do this," Tim began softly.

"I want to," David replied, still holding his smile. "I'm taking care of you."

Tim blushed, which was indiscernible from the rest of his burnt face; but what David was doing felt good and Tim was too tired to argue.

"You too, Tony," David called as he tossed a balled-up wet towel at Tony, who smirked and accepted. David also offered Gibbs and Ziva each a towel, but they declined. David ran his hands down Tim's arms, examining them. He also gently ran the cool rags over the marks from the zip-ties around Tim's wrists. "Are you hurt anywhere else? Ribs? Legs?"

"Doctor on base checked me out, I'll be fine. I took a few blows to the chest, but it's just bruises. No internal bleeding or damage. Right now I'm just tired."

"I'll go running with Jethro in the morning so you can sleep in. Have you had anything to eat?"

"Just some basic rations, but I'm really not hungry."

"That's ok. When you are, we'll have to start with something lighter and not greasy, maybe rice- or bread-based. I don't want it making you sick if you haven't had real food in days."

Tim chuckled and looked up at him. "Listen to you, all fussing about."

David beamed at him as he refreshed the towel on Tim's forehead. "I told you I would if you ever got hurt. Just wait 'till we get home, I'll be downright insufferable." He placed a cool towel on Tim's neck, which elicited another appreciative hum. "I also brought a change of clothes for you, so whenever you'd like I'll go get them."

Tim nodded, then leaned back in his chair and shut his eyes.

Abby came up to David and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and she whispered quietly to him, "Hey, Ziva's going to need to stay at Bethesda for a couple of days just for medical observation, but since her apartment's kinda toast she needs a place to stay afterwards. I was going to offer her my couch, but…" She gave a pleading look as she spoke.

David held up his hand. "Don't worry about it, she can use the guest room. I'll clear it with Tim in the morning after a good night's sleep, but I doubt he'll say no."

Tim answered from his chair, "He won't say no."

Abby and David turned to him with amused smiles.

"I said 'tired,' not 'deaf,'" Tim murmured with his eyes still closed.

David smiled and turned back to Abby. "When can they go home?"

"Now," Gibbs called from his desk to everyone.

David looked from Gibbs' desk back down to Tim calculatingly. "You up for it?"

Tim quietly groaned. "Yes… home, shower, bed," he muttered exhaustedly.

He stood up and put his arm around David's shoulder while they walked to the elevator.

As they walked, David looked up to him and whispered, "Let's get you home, soldier."

Tim was nearly asleep as they walked, but with David's arm around his waist he smiled because he was already home.

NCIS

Tim remembered how good he felt after his shower, but didn't remember taking it. He also didn't remember when he actually got into bed, but he remembered how David's chest felt underneath his head before he blacked out. He slowly woke to the sound of light tapping and the smell of breakfast. He hummed sleepily, then felt fingers softly drift through his hair.

"Good morning," David's warm voice greeted him.

He opened his eyes to see David sitting cross-legged on the bed next to him with his laptop. Looking further down, he saw a tray with two coffee mugs and a plate with a stack of small croissants.

"Tell me those are…" Tim mumbled.

"Your favorite, loaded ham and cheese croissants baked fresh this morning by yours truly," David answered with a confident smile as he picked one up and wafted it under Tim's nose.

Tim reached out with his mouth and took a bite, and moaned through the mouthful. He snatched the croissant from David's hand and pulled the covers over his head to eat in private. David shook his head and returned to his laptop with a sip of his coffee.

"What are you up to?" Tim asked, his voice muffled by food and blankets.

"Paying bills, checking work emails, all the fun stuff."

"What time is it?"

"Almost 9 AM. You've been asleep for almost 14 hours. I shut off your alarm clock so it wouldn't wake you. How are you feeling?"

Tim rose slowly out from under the covers and took the other mug of coffee. He took a couple of sips and heaved a satisfied sigh. "Much better."

"Good." David rubbed Tim's back as he drank.

Tim could tell something was on David's mind. The concern on his face was clear for a moment before David looked away to his computer.

"What are you thinking about?" Tim asked.

"Oh, it's nothing, just work stuff."

"Come on," Tim pressed. He put his hand on David's arm.

David closed his computer and put it aside. "I want to talk about what happened out there just to try and put it to rest, but I don't want you to tell me if you're not ready."

Tim shrugged. "Honestly, there's not much to tell. And it's kind of like what you said after it happened to you. When you're ready for it, it's not so bad, but when it catches you off guard it's different."

"And you were ready."

Tim nodded. "Actually, compared to some other ops we've done, this one went pretty much according to plan. We were most of the way through our first day of searching when we got captured."

David took Tim's hand and squeezed. Tim squeezed back, and felt the irony as he almost wanted to smile while telling this story because he felt so comfortable now.

Tim continued, "They tried to break us in with a couple of beatings, but then because Tony was the one doing most of the smack-talking they injected him with truth serum. He started rambling on about the team members just to buy time while Gibbs got the teams in position since we hadn't checked in. During the interrogation, Saleem brought in a hostage to try and push us into talking as a last-ditch effort, and it turned out to be Ziva. Gibbs killed Saleem, I cut us free, and then we moved out. After that it was kind of a blur. The sweeper teams did a lot of the legwork. We were examined by a field medic, then again by a doctor at the base, and right after that we boarded the plane."

David nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I remember when I was running away everything was kind of in slow-motion, but at soon as you got there and caught Bearse it all just happened so fast. I barely remember getting to the ambulance." His mouth then spread into a big smile and he chuckled before continuing, "Then you proposed and everything went all slow-motion again."

Tim returned the grin. "And we kissed right in front of the whole office and everything slowed down then, too." He suddenly sputtered out a laugh. "You know, most couples exchange bad date stories. We exchange hostage situations."

David broke out laughing and hid his blushing face in his hands. "It's been quite a ride, Timothy McGee."

Tim snorted into his coffee, thankfully not spilling any. "Agreed. Once again, no one else but you could make me laugh after something like this. We've just survived a worst-case scenario as far as 'couples versus jobs' are concerned. And look at us now - breakfast in bed."

David gave a small smile, slid their fingers together and kissed Tim's hand. "True. My Superman returned."

"If I'm Superman, does that makes you Lois Lane? Or would it be Louis Lane?"

"Probably Batman," David theorized as he straightened up into a bold pose. "Same universe, pancaking bad guys with my super-awesome… Mini Cooper."

"Now _there's_ a story I could write," Tim joked.

"Which also reminds me, I got two new records for your writing collection, a fresh ream of paper, and a new typewriter ribbon for you."

Tim smiled and nuzzled into David. "Mmm… That sounds nice. But now that I'm home, there's only one thing I really want to write."

"Oh?" David asked with a hint of intrigue.

"Wedding invitations."

David laughed and leaned harder against Tim. "You think we're ready to start planning?"

"Yeah. I know we wanted to wait, but what's the harm in at least looking into it?"

"As long as you're sure we're ready actually do it."

Tim tilted his head to the side and looked over at him curiously. "You mean, sure we're ready to get married?"

David looked into Tim's eyes and bit his lip. Tim smiled, cupped David's neck and pulled him into a deep kiss. David reached his arms around Tim and kneaded his way up the stiff muscles of Tim's back. Tim groaned into the kiss, but didn't stop. Tim leaned David back on the bed and pressed himself gently on top to David's chest. David slipped his hands under Tim's shirt and gently slid his fingers up Tim's spine. Tim finally came up from the kiss for air, and nuzzled David's nose with a smile.

David hummed enticingly. "You make a very convincing point, Special Agent McGee."

"So are you ready to stop talking crazy and become the new _Mister_ Special Agent McGee?"

David gave a quick kiss, then replied, "Absolutely."

They sat up, and David moved himself to sit behind Tim with the laptop in Tim's lap. David nestled his head onto Tim's shoulder and put his legs around Tim's, while Tim leaned back against David's chest. They sat looking at the computer screen, each waiting for the other to suggest something.

Tim eventually asked, "Ok, so… where do we start?"

"Uh… Google?" David hesitantly responded. "I don't know, I've never done weddings from this side of the planning table before."

"Wait, you never even had your own wedding?!" Tim's jaw dropped.

David shrugged. "Well, I mean we had a quick ceremony but it was up in Canada so it was just us and two friends. Then we came back, invited a few more friends over and had a barbecue. I was still a full-time student with a part-time job, he was working full-time but we weren't exactly rolling in money, so we had to keep to a really tight budget."

"What about now? We can have a decent but not exorbitant budget, so what do you want?"

David pondered it for a moment. "A dancefloor. A real dance with my man in front of everyone. You?"

"I keep having dreams about a beach wedding. I also really liked the white dress uniforms from the newer _Star Trek_ movies."

David shuddered. "We'd be excommunicated from the nerd community for endorsing _any_ part of _Star Trek: Nemesis_ or _Insurrection_. Besides, I love the way you look in a suit. I like the idea of a beach also, but I guess it depends on the timing. When people tell me they need a cake for their wedding, I ask when they want it. So when do we want to have the wedding?"

"Well, it's July now, so I'd say either Christmas or our anniversary in May."

"If we want to do the beach it's probably better further into the summer instead of spring because of rain, and definitely not during the winter."

They were interrupted by Tim's phone ringing on the nightstand. David leaned over to grab it and passed it to Tim. The caller ID read 'Gibbs Office.'

"Hey Boss," Tim greeted as he answered.

" _McGee, I need a report on North Africa by the end of the day. You can come in a bit later just as long as it gets done."_

"Sure thing. I'll be down in…" he paused to look around at the alarm clock, "an hour."

" _Ok."_ Gibbs replied before hanging up.

David pouted his lower lip, which Tim gave a small kiss. David giggled and squeezed Tim gently. David propped up one eyebrow at Tim.

"It should only take me a couple of hours to finish the report," Tim answered the silent question posed by David. "Do you want to come with me?"

"I can't, I have a cake consultation at noon. Although, depending on how you were doing, I was thinking of going to visit Ziva at the hospital. Abby and I are pulling together to get her a prepaid phone so she can communicate while she's getting settled back in."

"That sounds nice. How about I meet you up at the bakery and we can go together?"

"Sounds great. I think we're going to have a bit of a problem here though," David admitted with a grimace and pointed to the computer.

"Agreed, we're definitely going to need help planning this thing. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

David gave a sly smile. "Sarah and Penny."

Tim nodded. "You know Sarah has planned her dream wedding down to every detail at least a dozen times, and Penny has actually done it before and can give us tips."

"And Abby is going to be our flower girl, so she must already have something in mind."

"I'll make the calls, you make the lunch."

The grabbed their coffee mugs and clinked them together in a toast to their new plans.


	20. Chapter 20

NCIS

Planning the family get-together took Tim and David to the next weekend to make sure everyone's schedules aligned. Ziva didn't want to risk imposing on Tim and David by staying with them and offered to stay at a Navy lodge, but they insisted upon hosting her so she could recuperate peacefully. Ziva decided to take some time before trying to return to work at NCIS, and by the next weekend she had already seen a therapist twice and would continue for a few months. David was excited for the weekend not just for the wedding planning, but for finally getting to meet Penny. He and Ziva had just finished preparing lunch when the doorbell rang.

"David!" Sarah squealed as he opened the door. She juggled three binders along with a notebook and her purse while trying to hug him, then proceeded inside.

"Hey Sarah, great to see you!" He smiled, then saw the shorter, older woman approach. He quickly turned on his charm and said, "And you must be Sarah's twin sister, Penny."

Penny coyly smiled and tapped his cheek with her hand. "I see Timothy's had his way with you this morning, since you're certainly full of it."

David's eyes widened and his jaw dropped in mortified disbelief of what he just heard from the 70-year-old. Penny smiled mischievously at her handiwork, and proceeded to hug him.

"Good to finally meet you, David."

David laughed and hugged her warmly. "Great to meet you too. Tim should be down in a minute. This is our friend Ziva," he gestured over to the dining room where Ziva was laying out the tray of hamburgers and chips.

"Hello everyone," Ziva waved. "Sarah, good to see you again. Penny, nice to finally meet you, I've heard a lot about you."

Abby arrived and knocked on the door, and David let her in with a hug and kiss on the cheek.

Tim came down the stairs and hugged everyone that had arrived. Tim's sunburn had cleared sufficiently and his other cuts on his face were mostly healed. "Hey guys, thanks so much for coming."

Sarah bounced with excitement and held up the binders she was carrying. "Tim, I have been DYING for you to ask me wedding questions since you said you were proposing to David. I have SO much to show you!"

Abby also smiled and pulled out a notebook of her own to show them. "And I've been sketching ideas for flower arrangements and pulling pictures out of magazines. I'm so excited this is finally happening!"

"Come on," David waved them all into the dining room. "Let's eat and get to work."

They each grabbed plates of food, then Sarah laid out each binder for them to see.

"Ok," she started with the binder on the left, "This one has a bunch of different locations and settings, like really cool hotels, beaches, even super-fancy barns for a more home-like feel."

They each passed around pages from the binder with different sites, swooning over each idea.

"I like some of these beach shots," Tim began, "but I am absolutely _loving_ this rooftop overlooking the Capitol."

David looked over his shoulder and moaned lustfully at the photo. "Yes. Keep that one. You sure you don't want the beach though? You said you had a dream about it."

Tim shook his head. "I did, but I just can't stop looking at this picture of the rooftop setting. It has my vote."

"Good, then mine too."

Sarah whipped out her own notebook and started writing. "Alright, when are you guys thinking?"

Tim looked at David then back to the photo. "Well if we're going for a hotel, that'll open us up a bit. We were thinking either Christmas or our anniversary in May."

Penny held up her hand. "I'd say go for your anniversary, otherwise you'll end up combining Christmas and Anniversary gifts and you'll be getting gypped every year. Also around Christmas it'll be harder to book the hotel rooms for guests."

Abby pointed to her and nodded her head. "Very true. Every business helping you guys will be insanely busy around that time, and your anniversary gives you more time to plan."

Sarah scribbled a few more things in her notebook then looked back up. "Definitely May. That gives us just under a year. Plus, if the laws they're proposing go through, this could be that hotel's first celebrity gay wedding. You guys will get _tons_ of attention and free shit from them."

"I like free," David agreed through a mouthful of hamburger. "But that also means that whatever we do needs to be done in DC itself, not like Arlington or somewhere that just has a view. That's going to be expensive."

"What's your budget looking like?" Sarah asked.

David looked at Tim and whispered, "Not too much, but enough to be nice?"

"Let's look through our and see what we wanted to set aside for the down payment on the house, then see what we have left after? Plus I can reach out to my publisher and see what they can do for us. If I dangle the idea of another book in front of them, they might give us either an advance or maybe get the hotel to give us some kind of deal."

Sarah nodded as she continued writing. "Alright, so budget is pending but I'll get back to you on ballpark costs. Also, whatever place you use should be able to move the party inside if it rains, so it has to be a place with a ballroom, too. Are you guys doing a religious ceremony?"

"No, just civil," Tim replied. "But if we could have the ceremony and reception in the same place that'd keep things simple."

Abby chimed in, "And while things are being prepared in the hotel, you could go to a nearby park for pictures."

Ziva spoke up, "That café where you first met has a sculpture garden. Perhaps you could have them taken there. It would have significance."

"Oh, I love that idea!" David exclaimed.

Sarah was scribbling frantically in her notebook. "Love it, love it, love it! Alright so you'll need a photographer for everything, but you'll also need transport from the hotel to the gardens and back. If we're in the city, definitely use a party bus or something that's _not_ a stretch limo. Now, the hotel you choose has to match the feel you're going for. Are you looking for something fancy, something cozy, something modern?"

Tim and David looked at each other as they calculated.

"You really liked the colonial suite we were in," David observed.

Tim's face scrunched. "Yeah, but that's very historic and I'm not really feeling the historic theme for our wedding. I'd say for maximum effect, go modern."

David nodded in agreement and turned back to Sarah. "Modern. It'll match our suits more, too."

"Hold that thought, suits are in the second binder with the dresses," Sarah called without looking up from her notebook and binder.

Tim rolled his eyes and started cleaning up the plates. "You gonna plan the whole thing for us, Sarah?"

"If you'll let me," she asked eagerly with a grin.

David and Tim exchanged glances, and David nodded. "Job's yours if you want it."

She squealed excitedly, then ran to hug each of them. She quickly sat back down to her notebook and continued flipping through some of the binder pages. "Ok, so we have a type of location, the date, and logistics for the first part, now let's go to the next part: Theme. What look are you going for? Black and white elite, or maybe more color for spring?"

"Color," Tim insisted. "Especially a bit of blue. It brings out David's eyes."

David blushed as they each looked at his eyes. "What about green for Tim's?"

"The flowers will help with that," Abby pointed out as she opened her notebook to show some pictures and drawings she had made. Tim was surprised to see many that were not simply black roses.

They all crowded over one side of the table to look at the notebook and the second binder that Sarah was opening. Most of pages were of brides with grooms, so they showed both dresses and suits that each of them ogled.

"Oh I want that," Ziva pointed to one of the dresses that was smooth and had a long open strip up the leg.

David looked at her and nodded. "Absolutely. And you could have the garter just low enough to show it holding a compact .22 or a shiny steel knife to accent the jewelry."

"Oh!" she groaned holding her hands over her heart. "So pretty."

"I like that suit," Tim pointed to a bluish-gray suit with a white shirt and light blue tie. "What do you think?"

"Oh, I love it! Although wouldn't you want to see me in this?" David pointed to the backless dress modeled next to the suit Tim picked. "I don't have the bust to hold up anything strapless, but that baby could really show off my ink."

Tim stifled a laugh behind one hand and swatted David's arm with the other. "Much as I'd enjoy seeing that, I could always insist on those _Star Trek_ uniforms again."

"No, no!" David hastily put his hand on the page with the suit. "The suit's perfect!"

Abby picked out a picture with some white flowers to show them. "You could have white boutonnieres to match your shirts, and the blue ribbons in the flower arrangements on the tables to match."

"Well wait a second," Sarah interrupted. "Who's going to be in each party? If there are women on each side, there are bouquets and dresses to think about too."

"Oh crap, I don't even think we've talked about it yet," David looked at Tim with a worried expression.

"Whatever we choose, we need some kind of balance," Tim pointed out.

"Well let's see," David looked around at each of them and counted on his fingers. "So we have Abby, Ziva, Sarah, Tony, Gibbs, Mitch, Beth, who else?"

"Ducky and Palmer," Tim added, "I'd love for them to be there."

"Abby's already flower girl, but I'd kind of like for her to be on my side as my maid of honor," David added.

Abby's eyes went wide. "Really?!" she asked. "Oh my god! I'd love to be your maid of honor!" She raced over and tightly hugged David. "What about Tim?"

Tim answered, "Actually I want to ask Gibbs to be my best man."

David continued, "Then Sarah will be on your side of course. What about Penny?"

Penny put her hand on David's arm. "That's sweet of you dear, but I doubt I'd fit in with the younger people. It's probably best if I'm sitting, anyway."

David blushed and smiled. "You know, I just had a thought. Would it be weird to ask Ducky to be the officiant? He was one of the first to really have me take part in a tradition around here."

Abby smiled and gasped. "Oh, I'm sure he'd love that! You definitely should ask him."

"Yeah, I like that idea," Tim agreed.

Sarah observed, "If you're having a flower girl, we'll need a ring bearer unless you have the best man do the rings and no flower girl."

Tim looked back to David. "Tony? Then he and Ziva could walk in together."

"I think that would work. We have Ziva as our flower girl, then Tony as our ring bearer, so they'd walk in together as one pair. Then I have Abby as my maid of honor, you have Gibbs as your best man, they go in as a pair. Then I have Mitch and Beth, and you have Sarah and Palmer. It evens out perfectly."

Ziva tilted her head to the side and beamed at David. "You want me to be in your wedding party?"

David hooked an arm around her for a hug. "Absolutely. You're family."

Ziva bit her lip and fought back happy tears. "Thank you, truly."

Sarah smiled and was on the third page of her notes. "Alright, so wedding party is figured out, now let's get back to theme. We liked the blue-gray suits and light blue flowers, so we'll have to try to find matching dresses but that shouldn't be too hard. Most wedding vendors coordinate like that. As far as the reception and venue, what's the theme? Please don't say something dorky…"

Tim and David looked at each other, and Tim asked, "Do we want something like Superman and Batman, or maybe something like _Star Wars_ or _Star Trek_?"

David smiled. "If we get custom lightsabers again, we could do _Star Wars_ and wear them with our suits."

Sarah groaned quietly to herself. "Who am I kidding? Of course it has to be dorky."

Tim ignored her and continued, "And you could have the _Republic_ symbol in matching light blue on the cake."

David nodded. "I could make a three-tier cake with light-blue icing roses on each tier, then place the blue _Republic_ symbol on the middle tier."

Sarah continued her notes. "Good, so that will save you money if your bakery is doing the cake. Wedding cakes are definitely expensive. Decorations will depend on what the hotel already has, but specialized stuff will have to be ordered. Also you'll need a DJ or some kind of music for the ceremony and reception. And actually, depending on the hotel you may not need catering," she added as she held up the third binder for them. "It's good to have options, but most likely you'll get some kind of package deal with the hotel."

David sat down with Abby's notebook and pencil and started sketching ideas for the cake. Tim leaned down on his shoulders as he drew. Sarah continued scribbling frantically and finally tore out pages from her book and handed one to Tim.

"Alright, your homework assignment for this month is to figure out who you want to invite and start getting their contact information, and find invitations online that you like. I'll be reaching out to hotels to see who will be open for the date and get some pricing information based on the number of people." She handed Ziva and Abby each a page and continued, "Ziva, you call around to different florists to get pricing and call me back with quotes. Abby, here's the page with the suit they liked. The suit vendor on the advertisement should have a partner for bridesmaid dresses that will match the colors, but call them just to be sure. I'll schedule a time with Tim and David to check them out, then if we like them we'll schedule fittings. Everyone good?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Abby saluted.

Tim smiled and reached over to hug Sarah. "You were born for this day, weren't you?"

"Planning my big brother's gay wedding? Absolutely," she confidently replied.

NCIS

Ziva had been quiet the rest of the day. Even after everyone else had left, she retreated to her room and stayed there for a few hours. She had only stayed with them for a couple of days, and had kept mostly to herself even then as she adjusted to being released from captivity. Yet that wasn't the reason for her evasiveness this time. Later in the night, she finally emerged and went downstairs where Tim and David were watching a movie and were cuddled up on the couch.

"Hey Tim, David, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Of course," Tim replied as he turned off the TV. "What's up?"

She sat down on a chair across from the couch and struggled to find her beginning words. "I… I realized I never thanked you for everything you did… everything you've been doing. McGee, you helped carry me out of that camp, and David, Abby told me that you insisted on helping to find me even though it put you at risk. And…" she started to choke back tears as she spoke, "and now you've opened your home for me to stay and have welcomed me like family again, like nothing had even happened. You never asked me anything, you didn't demand anything. You just welcomed me. It just made me realize how wrong I was to abandon everyone here, everyone that mattered to me. I should've trusted you, and I didn't, but you still helped me. I am truly thankful, and… so very sorry for all the pain that I caused."

Tim and David stood and embraced her together. Ziva broke into tears in their arms. It was the first time she had apologized to any of the team since she had been back. They slowly sat her down on the couch and sat on either side of her.

"Thank you," she sputtered through her tears again as she tried to regain her composure.

David rubbed her back with his hand, trying to comfort her. "Ziva, you insisted on getting to know me when Tim and I were first getting together. You protected him then, and you welcomed me. You could've convinced him to break it off, but you didn't."

Tim added, "Even after we learned things about David's past, you and Gibbs still defended him when everyone else – including me, sadly – wouldn't. You're always my big sister, Z."

She smiled at them and squeezed their hands. "And you're my little brother, McGee. I'm glad you both are happy."

David and Tim exchanged loving glances and both blushed. Tim reached out his other hand, and David took it and rubbed over it with his fingers. "Love him to death."

"Love you too."

Ziva smiled and leaned back into the couch. "What were you watching?"

" _Sleepless in Seattle,_ " Tim replied. "David got me into it."

"All the wedding planning reminded me of it," David added. "It's a classic. Want to see it? We just started, so we could start it over."

"Sure, if you don't mind."

"I'll get us popcorn," David offered as he got up and went to the kitchen.

While McGee got the TV prepared, Ziva turned to him and whispered quietly. "Tim, Abby told me what happened with David and your father. Are you and David doing alright?"

"We're doing fine. He moved in with me just after you left, and he moved his business down here and he's doing well. Things with my dad were tough to deal with at first, but we've always been fairly distant so it could've been worse."

"I have not spoken to my father yet, either. I'm still deciding exactly how I want to approached it with him. But also after everything that's happened, I've decided that I want to really be at home here and not just a visitor. I'm going to apply for U.S. Citizenship, and also apply to be an official NCIS agent."

Tim grinned. "Ziva, that's great! That'll mean you really get to stay and not be forced to go back to Mossad."

"I'm… hoping that Gibbs will allow me to come back. I have some difficult conversations ahead."

"Have you spoken to Tony yet?"

Ziva looked out the window. "No. I have not seen him since we returned, when I went into the hospital. That conversation will probably be the most difficult."

"Would you rather not walk in with him at the wedding?"

"Oh, no that's not it at all. In fact I'm looking forward to doing all of this together. Just for now, things with Tony are…"

Tim put a hand on hers. "You don't have to say it. I think I get it."

She looked back at him and smiled. "Yes, well, it's going to be alright. When are you going to talk to him about being in the wedding?"

"When I go in on Monday I'll ask everyone that wasn't here. Gibbs, Tony, Ducky, Palmer."

David came back with a large bowl of popcorn and handed it to Ziva. She scooted over to the edge of the couch so David could sit with Tim. As they nuzzled, she smiled and munched on some of the popcorn. Tim started the movie and put his arm around David.

Ziva nudged David. "So are you guys excited about getting the planning started?"

"Very," David replied. "There's so much to do, but all my clients say it's like a happy-stressful feeling while you're planning."

"Don't you also have your clients make their wedding cake?" Tim looked down at him and asked.

"I don't have them make the cake itself, but I tell them to come in a month or so before the wedding just to bake something together just as something relaxing, constructive, and fun if they ever get too stressed."

"Is that something we get to do?"

David smiled up at him. "Actually I hoped that you would make the cake with me. I'd love to do that with you."

Tim smiled and intertwined their fingers. "Sounds perfect."

NCIS

Tony exited the elevator and headed towards the bullpen where McGee was filling out his paperwork. Tony heaved a refreshed sigh and took off his sunglasses as he reached his desk. He set down the glasses and his coffee and continued to McGee's desk.

"Hey, Tony," McGee called without looking up.

Tony said nothing but stood in front of McGee's desk.

McGee looked up and asked, "What?"

"Ziva. How is she? Did she say she's coming back?"

McGee smiled knowingly. "She's doing fine. She's with David doing some clothes shopping before he goes to work. As far as coming back, that's something you'll have to ask her about."

"Oh come on, _McGoo_ , spill. She's staying with you, so you must've talked with her about it."

"She is staying with us, and we did talk, but now she just needs to be ready to talk to you. You haven't reached out to her yet, either."

"I wanted to talk to her on the plane, but it's complicated."

"I know," McGee blurted out before realizing that was a mistake.

Tony's eyes widened and he smiled at his new target. "Oh, you _know_ , do you? What exactly is it that you know?"

"Er…" McGee stammered, "I know that David and I want you in our wedding party as our ring bearer."

"Nice try. Spill."

"Tony, no. She'll tell you when she is ready, but I'm serious. David and I want you as the ring bearer for the wedding. We started the planning process this weekend and we'd love for you to be involved."

"Ring bearer, not best man?"

"I would've, but sometimes I wonder if you're mentally old enough," McGee said with a smirk.

"Admit it, you just don't want me standing up there because you think I'll look better in the suit."

McGee rolled his eyes. "Thanks for proving my point, Tony. At least I know I can trust you not to lose or destroy something that's shiny and not motorized."

Tony's smile disappeared and he narrowed his eyes at McGee. "Ok, fine. Who's going to be your best man?"

"I haven't asked him yet, but I was going to ask Gibbs."

"Ask me what, McGee?" Gibbs said as he walked into the squad room towards his desk.

"I… uhh…" McGee sputtered and stood up. He walked over to Gibbs' desk, and fiddled with his hands as he nervously started to speak. "Uh, David and I started planning things for the wedding, and I was wondering… if you'd be my best man."

Gibbs smiled instantly as if he knew the question would be asked. "I'd be honored, Tim."

McGee smiled back. "Great! Thanks, Gibbs. Do we have a case or do I have time to go see Ducky?"

"Nothing yet, but be ready."

McGee nodded, then headed to the elevator. He entered the morgue where Ducky and Palmer were doing an examination. Once he saw the body, he stopped in his tracks.

Ducky looked up and called over to him. "Good morning, Timothy. How are you?"

"I'm doing alright, but you guys are busy. I'll come back."

"Oh, nonsense, this Corporal isn't going anywhere. How can I help you?"

Tim slowly approached. "Actually I wanted to talk to both of you."

Palmer lowered his mask with a confused look. "Sure, what's going on?"

"I wanted to ask you both if you wanted to be involved in my and David's wedding."

Ducky and Palmer both smiled, and Ducky started, "Of course! What would you like for us to do?"

"Well, Jimmy I wanted you to be in my wedding party, standing up there with me."

"Absolutely!"

"And Ducky, we wondered if you'd officiate for us."

Ducky's mouth hung open. "You mean, you want _me_ to marry you and David? That's a huge responsibility. Why me?"

"It was David's idea. He said you were the first to let him be part of any tradition with us, and we both thought it'd be really great. If you don't want to, that's ok."

"But of course I want to, dear boy!" Ducky grinned and laughed. "No one's ever asked me to do this before. I would have to somehow become authorized, but it would be an honor!"

"Thanks, you guys," McGee glowed with relief. "My sister is helping with the planning, and I'll have her find out how you can become a recognized minister and let you know."

"That sounds great! When's the wedding?" Palmer asked.

"May 27th, our anniversary. I gotta run, but I'll get you guys all the details once we nail down the place."

"Thank you, Timothy!" Ducky called as McGee left.

McGee ran up to Abby's lab and sped through the door.

"McGee!" She called from her desk. She turned around and sprinted towards him and gave him a tight hug. "I'm so excited! I already sent Sarah the information for where you can get your suits. How's your homework coming?"

McGee smiled cheerfully. "So far, so good. Tony, Gibbs, Palmer, and Ducky all accepted and they'll be in the wedding. We found a couple of invitation styles we liked online, but we're torn between two different ones. Tonight we're compiling our list of people we want to invite."

Abby quickly took hold of McGee's hands. "Listen, I know everything that happened between you and me is basically ancient history, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm so happy for you and David. I knew you'd find somebody that was just right for you, and he really does bring out the best in you."

"Thanks, Abby. I was a bit worried that I rushed things with David and the proposal, but he's been right there with me the whole time. I almost feel like we're married already."

"You guys are perfect together. Have you decided what you're doing for your bachelor party?"

McGee hunched up an eyebrow. "A bachelor party? You mean like with strippers and such?"

"Yeah! Although, now that I think about it, I'm not sure I could see Gibbs giving you a stripper bachelor party…"

"Nah, I'm sure he knows that's not my thing. We haven't really talked about it, but I trust Gibbs to figure something out. It's not really a big deal for me. What are you thinking of doing for David?"

"I'm thinking some kind of concert, but I haven't gotten around to checking for what bands are playing nearby yet."

"He'll love that. Jeez, I don't even care about the bachelor party. I just want to be there. I want to hear the words and not wake up. I've been dreaming about this since Christmas, and now it's actually happening."

"You deserve it, Tim. You are going to have a kick-ass wedding, and an even more kick-ass marriage. You've got your family behind you this whole way."

McGee reached out and hugged her again. "Thanks, Abs. That's all I need."


	21. Chapter 21

NCIS

David was already awake when his 0400 alarm went off. He let the alarm go off for a couple of rings for Tim's benefit before turning it off. Tim stirred slightly in his sleep, but the early alarm didn't entirely register for him.

"Tiiiiiim," David sang. "It's cake time!" David excitedly bounced backward on the bed and leaned over Tim.

Tim whined, "Uh-uh. Sleep."

"Come on, we talked about this! We have to get started early."

"Nnnn… why you up?"

"Why aren't you?! T-minus 2 days and counting! It's cake day!"

"Coffee?"

"Well yes, I did have one cup about twenty minutes ago. I have a cup brewed for you too and we can have more at the bakery. I also already took out Jethro so we can leave right away!"

"Coffee," Tim repeated in a grunt.

David kissed Tim on the head and padded excitedly downstairs. Tim struggled to pull himself up into a sitting position, but he finally got up in time for David to return with the mug of coffee. Tim had yet to open his eyes, so he blindly reached out for David to put it in his hand. David rolled his eyes and gently wrapped Tim's fingers around the mug's handle. Before releasing Tim's hand, David kissed it and sat gently down on the bed to avoid spilling the coffee. Tim slurped at it for a few minutes and eventually opened his eyes. He saw David's face practically glowing in the low light.

Tim chuckled and brought one hand up to brush against David's face. "Two more days until we're finally married."

"Yeah, and it'll actually be legally recognized. Oh god, baby I'm so excited! But other than the actual wedding, today's the day I'm most excited about. I've made cakes for so many other peoples' weddings, and now we're making ours together."

Tim smiled. "You sure you want my help? I'm not sure if I'll even be useful."

"Absolutely! This isn't just about the cake, this is something we're doing together. Besides, you think I could wake you up at the butt-crack of dawn if I didn't really need you?"

"Alright," Tim groaned as he stood up. He started getting dressed, and through a mighty yawn he tried asking, "So what's the schedule today?"

"You and I bake the cake, then once it's made one of my guys from the bakery comes in and helps us bring it down to the hotel. We meet Sarah and the hotel manager to see what the place is looking like and make any last-minute adjustments. Then we pick up your mom and her husband at the airport, but that's it. Our last day of almost peace before all hell breaks loose."

Tim finished slipping on his shoes and they walked out to the car. "All hell… you mean hell wasn't my birthday night in September just before Ziva moved out?"

 _FLASHBACK_

 _David and Tim stumbled through the door laughing, and David pulled Tim by his shirt into a kiss. Their tongues intertwined and their hands wandered. Tim squeezed David's growing erection. David moaned._

" _Ziva's out on a date, you know," Tim growled._

" _We should have another hour, maybe two," David gasped._

 _Tim sealed his lips with a rough kiss, and proceeded to tear at David's clothes. David pushed Tim against the wall, then lifted him by his thighs. Tim gasped in surprise at the action and grappled David's hips with his legs. Their crotches ground together as they kissed, and David slipped his hands under the waistband of Tim's jeans and down to grope each cheek of Tim's ass. Tim moaned and leaned his head back against the wall. David bit down on Tim's sensitive spot just under his ear. Tim took in a sharp breath and gripped David's biceps tightly, then he pushed David backward roughly. David fell back onto the couch and he accidentally knocked over the nearby floor lamp. It fell with a clatter, but nothing broke so Tim ignored it and dove on top of David on the couch. Tim reconnected their tongues and started tugging down on David's pants. David unclipped Tim's belt and groped Tim's cock through the fabric of his boxers. Tim successfully removed David's pants and began removing his own. David reached into the end table's drawer and pulled a small bottle of lube from the back._

" _Really?" Tim asked between breaths._

" _Just in case you ever got frisky during a movie," David grinned._

 _Tim straddled David, who continued groping Tim and rolled them off the couch onto the floor._

 _Ziva massaged her head as she pulled into her parking spot. Her date had just gone terribly, and despite leaving it early she desperately needed a good drink. She heard clattering in the house as she walked up. She looked from the sidewalk to the window but couldn't see inside because of the angle of the light. When she looked at the door, she saw it was still slightly open and the top of the lamp was still visible on the floor. She heard more noise from inside, and thinking there was an intruder she drew her gun. She gently snuck her way through the door, then heard a muffled gasp from the kitchen. The living room was a mess. She couldn't make out the clothing from the light of the toppled lamp, but the coffee table and the chair were both out of their normal positions as she made her way through. She flung herself around the wall to see David naked, bellowing out a guttural moan and slamming one last thrust into Tim, who was also naked and seated just on the edge of the countertop with his arms and legs around David._

 _Ziva screamed in surprise, then clapped her hands over her mouth, then quickly over her eyes._

 _Tim was snapped out of his orgasmic high and yelled, "OH MY GOD!" He slipped off the counter and took David with him crashing to the floor._

 _Ziva quickly retreated into the living room, repeatedly calling, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"_

 _FLASHBACK_

David snickered as he shut off the car and walked up with Tim to the bakery. "It was a good birthday date until that moment. And she moved out only three weeks later. We never even had to talk about it! It could've been worse."

"For you, maybe," Tim retorted with a shudder. "For the next week, every time she looked at me at work, she blushed and giggled to herself. I made her swear on her life never to tell Tony about it."

"That was embarrassing, not hell," David corrected as he unlocked the shop. "Remember that time when Sarah surprised us by _not_ telling us we were trying on suits when we went out after the gym? I had to try on the suit pants that were way too big for me in front of the tailor, who looked like my mother by the way, while all I had on underneath was a jock strap. _That_ , my dear, was hell."

David flipped on the lights for the bakery kitchen and started a fresh pot of coffee. Tim looked around the kitchen and went over to the sink next to David to wash his hands. David joined him, then when the coffee was ready he poured them each a large cup. Tim accepted his cup and took a quick kiss from David before turning to the kitchen.

"I dunno, I think hell was trying to crank out the new book in only two months," Tim commented.

David gave a disgusted sigh and pulled out a large mixing bowl. "Ugh, please never do that again. You'll either starve to death or I'll kill you myself."

 _FLASHBACK_

" _Tim!" David yelled as he knocked on Tim's writing room door. "Come on, you have to eat something!"_

" _I'm fine!" Tim called from inside. "I already ate!"_

"' _Caf-POW!' and protein bars do not count as food!"_

" _If I don't finish, we pay full-price on the hotel!"_

" _Fine! I'll pay it! Just eat, dammit!" David heard the jazz music from the vinyl player double in volume, and narrowed his eyes. "Timothy Farragut McGee! That's right, I brought out the middle name! OPEN! THE! DOOR!" David heard nothing further from inside, and started banging his head against the door gently. "Alright, no more 'Caf-POW!' for Tim ever again."_

 _FLASHBACK_

"Hey, be grateful!" Tim reminded him as he helped sift flour into the mixing bowl. "We got the hotel that we loved and at half-price because of my publisher, plus royalties."

"Sure, but you lost your mind."

"I was back to normal by Christmas!"

David shook his head, then smiled and ruffled Tim's hair. "You're crazy, but I love you anyway."

Tim smiled sheepishly. "I love you too, despite how crazy YOU went when you started counting every last carb and gram of sugar when trying to lose weight for your suit."

David pouted his lip and added more ingredients to the mix. "I wanted to look good for you. And hey, it only lasted a couple of weeks, and I lost ten pounds before finally conceding and having a bagel. It's not like I gave up coffee. Then you could've had me committed."

"You always look good, baby," Tim smiled and put his hand on David's.

David bit his lip and started the mixer. Tim watched the mixing of the ingredients, and as he was mesmerized he laid his head down on David's shoulder.

"I love this part. Remember our first Christmas together?" he asked.

David smiled and kissed Tim's head. "Yeah. Baking together back at the old place, then again at Ducky's, then our first dance ever."

"Mmhmm," Tim sleepily hummed. "You nervous about our first dance as a married couple?"

"Definitely," David hastily answered.

"Why? You did great during the lessons."

 _FLASHBACK_

 _Sarah clapped her hands with her count, "one-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three, and stop stepping on his feet, David!"_

 _David groaned again, and Tim bit his lip to avoid saying anything as he shook out his squished foot for the fourth time._

" _Do we really have to waltz?" David asked as Sarah paused the music._

" _You could always do swing dance, but don't ask me to teach you that one," Sarah replied._

" _It's ok, baby," Tim reassured him. "I don't care if you step on my feet as long as we get to do this. This dance was the thing that you really wanted, and I want you to have it."_

" _Come on, guys," Sarah called. "Let's try again."_

 _She clicked on the music, and Tim and David got back into position. David looked down at his feet and unsteadily moved with the rhythm._

 _Tim whispered, "Stop looking down. Don't overthink it, just feel it and trust that you'll move the right way."_

 _David took a deep breath and looked up into Tim's eyes. His movements steadied, and he started to anticipate each step. David tightened his grip on Tim's waist and his hand._

" _See?" Tim smiled. "You got this."_

 _David flushed, and he got lost in Tim's eyes. He skipped a step and tripped himself into Tim, causing them both to fall down on top of each other._

 _FLASHBACK_

"I was a train wreck during the lessons," David corrected.

"I don't get it. You were amazing when we danced by ourselves that first time."

"It's like… ok, you know how when you sing in the shower, you think you sound amazing?" David asked while he finished coating the cake pans.

"Uhh… I know I know _you_ like to sing in the shower, and I think you sound amazing."

"That's not what I mean, it's an example," David explained. He started the ovens pre-heating and continued, "So you think you sound amazing, but then when you sing in front of people you end up sounding like crap. That's basically how I feel about our first dance. People will be watching, so I'm worried I'm going to mess up even though in private we _eventually_ did ok. Here, help me with this." He pointed to the bowl.

Tim took one side and David took the other. They lifted the bowl and started pouring batter into the different cake pans. There were nine round cake pans in three different diameters for the three-tiered cake.

Tim added, "I don't think that'll happen. And if you feel self-conscious, just focus on me and pretend we're alone."

David blushed. "I'm pretty sure I won't be able to take my eyes off you. I'm already feeling all bubbly inside just thinking about it."

Once the ovens were pre-heated, David placed the pans in their corresponding ovens so they could each be correctly timed based on their size.

"What about you?" David asked. "Are you nervous about anything?"

Tim hesitated for a moment. "The exchange of vows and rings. Every time I've had a dream about us getting to that part, something happens and I wake up."

David poured another scoop of sugar into the mixing bowl for the icing. "What happens? Is it bad?"

"Not always. The beach one you kind of just disappeared, but on the rooftop you were shot and killed like one of the former agents on my team, Caitlin Todd."

"I think you told me about her. I would've loved to have met her. I wouldn't worry about the dreams coming true though, given that we've both hit our 'being-shot-at' quota for the decade. You remember that time at the café when that crazy spy girl kept hitting on you and wouldn't leave you alone?"

 _FLASHBACK_

 _Tim was walking quickly out of the coffee shop with two cups in his hand. A short, red-haired woman was following just behind him._

" _Come on, Tim, I just wanted to talk for a minute," she insisted._

 _David was sitting at a table in the courtyard next to the shop. When he heard Tim's name he turned around and rolled his eyes when he saw Amanda following Tim yet again. She had seen him at the café the previous week, and tried hitting on him even though he said he was seeing someone. Tim shot David an annoyed look, then stopped and turned around to face Amanda._

" _Amanda, I already told you, I'm meeting someone here and we'd really like some privacy."_

 _Her face changed to a more serious look, and spoke with a foreign accent. "Where's Kai?"_

 _Tim's face turned to shock. "What'd you say?"_

 _She took a gun out from her purse and kept it mostly out of sight from everyone but the two of them. "Where is she, Tim? I need to know."_

 _David saw Amanda not leaving, so he stood up and walked towards Tim. The way he approached them he didn't see Amanda's gun, but he looked down at her and muttered, "Out of the way, hun," and kissed Tim fully on the mouth in front of the intrusive woman._

 _Tim's eyes widened and he grunted in surprise, but then he tried to push David away because he was now in danger too. Amanda backed slightly away in shock, but then a silenced shot ripped through her chest and skimmed Tim's right arm. Tim broke the kiss and yelped in pain. David heard the sound of the fabric ripping as the bullet grazed Tim, and when he saw the blood he froze momentarily in shock. Tim dropped the coffee, and David was pushed forward by Amanda's falling body. Tim looked up and saw the North Korean assassin he was hunting, Lee Wuan Kai, across the street with the silenced weapon that had just fired._

 _David saw Amanda's dead body and her gun and yelled, "Oh shit!" He grabbed Tim and ran them both inside before calling an ambulance._

 _FLASHBACK_

Tim traced his fingers along the small scar left from the bullet's scratch. "Ugh, yeah. But if it were up to you, I think you would've put my arm in a cast after I got grazed."

"That was your Christmas present, me not overreacting to you having been shot," David flashed him a cheeky smile.

"That one does not count as being shot!"

David threw his arms up. "A bullet was fired and it hit you. That counts."

Tim rolled his eyes. "I thought my present was that custom double-bladed lightsaber that you had engraved with _'McJedi,'_ which by the way is the only _McNickname_ that I'm allowing from you."

David smiled and took out the smallest of the cake pans from the oven to cool. "And I seem to recall getting quite the _'stocking stuffing'_ that Christmas night for a gift well given, along with that lovely gaming laptop."

Tim smiled fondly. "Can't beat sex and high-end computers."

David smelled the vanilla cake as it cooled, and groaned. "Get a whiff of this and revise that statement."

Tim leaned over and sniffed, and hummed hungrily. "Oh damn, that's good. You know, we haven't eaten breakfast. We'd better do that before we end up eating this instead."

David pointed towards the counter. "There are wrapped muffins up front, can you grab me a chocolate one?"

"Sure." Tim walked up to a display with several muffins and picked out a couple for them. "Did Abby tell you what she's doing for your bachelor party yet?"

"No, but she told me she got it planned. What about you? Did Gibbs talk to you?"

"As much as Gibbs actually talks. He asked me at Christmas, remember?"

 _FLASHBACK_

 _The entire team was at Ducky's for his traditional Christmas party. Ducky and David's Christmas Pudding was a hit once again, and they had all moved into the living room to exchange gifts around the tree. Tony and Ziva chatted on one couch while Tim, David, and Gibbs' father, Jackson Gibbs, chatted on the other. Tim got up to get another glass of wine for himself and David when Gibbs approached him._

" _Hey, Boss," Tim greeted instinctively._

" _Hey, McGee. How's the planning going?"_

" _Going alright, we just got the hotel confirmed for the ceremony and reception."_

" _That's good. Do you want me to make a speech at the reception?"_

 _Tim gave him a confused look. "I didn't plan on you making one. Do you want to?"_

 _Gibbs chuckled and poured himself a drink. "Your wedding, your lead."_

 _Tim chortled at the parody of the rule. "I really don't know. I guess it would be nice if you wanted to."_

 _Gibbs clapped Tim on the shoulder and took a sip of his drink. "Then I will. I didn't think you were the stripper type especially after the last case, so I'm not getting you one for your bachelor party."_

 _Tim sighed in relief. "Good. Did you actually plan something?"_

 _Gibbs smirked again and walked away._

 _FLASHBACK_

Tim muttered to David, "I asked a functional mute to give a speech at my wedding and plan my bachelor party. I may not have been as back to normal as I thought."

"Believe me, it'll turn out better than any speech you'd get from Tony," David called from the last oven as he pulled out the largest set of cake pans. "But I was so happy to meet Gibbs' dad. He was so sweet. He's coming too, by the way."

"The more the merrier." Tim took another bite of his muffin before turning back to the mixer. "Do you think the icing's ready?"

"Yeah, go ahead and shut it off, then bring the bowl over here."

David took the smallest set of cakes that already cooled and leveled them off so they've be perfectly flat. He then handed Tim the frosting spatula.

Tim accepted it hesitantly. "You sure you want me to do this?"

David smiled and kissed his hand again. "Yup. Start with a huge dollop on top, spread it around, and then we'll stack the layers on top."

Tim started spreading the icing around the top of the cake, but then David stood behind him, took his hand and guided it around to spread the icing evenly. Tim giggled and blushed.

"I see why you have couples do this. It is kind of relaxing," Tim whispered.

"It is," David answered and gave Tim a small peck behind his ear. "Though I never get this up close and personal. I never want to risk anything as far as their wedding cake goes, so usually they just bake a little something of their own."

"You better not be getting this up close with anyone else," Tim responded with a grind against David's hips.

"Make sure to spread it evenly, _Mister_ McGee," David breathed and placed gentle kisses down Tim's neck.

Tim breathed shakily and a shiver ran down through his extended hand. "Oh god, you're going to make me ruin this."

"You mean like when that power outage utterly ruined my Valentine's Day plans for you?"

"I seem to recall that we made light of that situation," Tim replied.

 _FLASHBACK_

 _David hummed sleepily as his eyes opened to the dark elevator ceiling. He looked down at Tim, who was asleep on his chest. The elevator carpet felt rough on his bare buttocks, but he had little choice since he used his boxers to wipe up the cum from Tim's torso from their last round. After the first four hours of being trapped in the elevator, and realizing no one would be bursting in on them, they took advantage of the alone time. They discovered many other things they could do to each other that didn't require lube since David left it in the car. He kissed Tim's forehead, then checked Tim's watch. He nudged Tim with his shoulder._

" _Baby, wake up. They'll be back to check on us in a few minutes," David whispered._

 _Tim slowly lifted his head and yawned. "Are they letting us out yet?"_

 _David slipped into his jeans commando-style and started putting on his shirt. "Worse. Tony will probably be getting here soon."_

"TOO LATE!" _Tony's voice boomed from the other side of the door._ "WAKE UP, BOYS!"

" _Tony!" Tim hissed. "For fuck's sake, keep it down!"_

 _David quickly put his shoes back on, then picked up the barely-dry boxers and held them up. He mouthed to Tim, "Where do I put these?"_

 _Tim was still buttoning his shirt. "I don't know!" he whispered._

"WE'RE OPENING THE DOOR!" _Tony yelled through the door._

 _David panicked but quickly folded the boxers and stuffed them into his pocket. Tim just whipped on his suit jacket when the elevator door sprung open. They both dove out of the elevator into Tony, who was holding a traffic cone to direct his voice._

" _Well good morning, sleepyheads. Did you enjoy your solitary Valentine's confinement?" Tony sneered._

" _Tony," David answered with no amusement in his voice, "there is an entire picnic basket of food that's been sitting neatly in my car overnight, and I will make sure that it makes its way quite messily all over the interior of your car."_

" _Jeez," Tony grimaced. "I guess McGee really kept you up last night since you're so cranky."_

 _David and Tim looked at each other, smiled, and walked away._

"You- you know I was kidding right? Right? _" Tony looked in horror back at the elevator. "Oh god..."_

 _FLASHBACK_

David stopped tantalizing Tim with the soft kisses but continued holding his hand and spreading the icing together. "Maybe I should have Tony and Ziva do this. There is _so_ much tension between them and it would help relieve it."

"THANK YOU!" Tim nearly shouted. "Geez, no one talks about it but there really is. You know, they had their talk in the men's room at NCIS when Ziva came back?"

"Have they actually slept together yet?"

"No, but I'm wavering between it being either an 'if' or a 'when' situation with those two. Gotta deal with _Rule Twelve_ , though."

David smiled. "I remember that one because Gibbs told me we were breaking it when we worked together on that case. _Never date a coworker._ " David began loading icing bags and started on the other layers while Tim continued on his own.

"How are we doing on time?" Tim asked.

David looked up at the clock, then back to the cake. "Doing just fine. Is someone starting to feel anxious?"

Tim smiled and his cheeks tinted themselves pink. "Shut up."

David grinned. "Me too."

They continued working on the cake, and eventually David's employees came to open the shop. The other pastry chef, Nolan, assisted with finishing the cake. David finished the decorating by smoothing out the light blue _Star Wars Republic_ logo on the middle tier. The cake was smooth and white with rounded edges, light blue frosting roses scattered on the bases of each tier, and a matching light blue fondant ribbon and bow around the base.

David smiled proudly and planted his head on Tim's shoulder. "Well? You like our wedding cake?"

Tim kissed him on the cheek. "Love it."

"Good. The toppers are put up on the day. Do you want to ride down with me and Nolan, or do you want to drive down separately?"

"I'll drive down separately. How are we picking up mom and Rick when all we have are two two-seaters?"

"Sarah mentioned something about a shuttle from the hotel. I couldn't quite make the rest out because she was talking so fast."

Tim walked alongside David and Nolan as they loaded the cake into the van. After closing the back doors of the van, David folded his arms and nervously shuddered. Tim went up to him and rubbed his arms.

"Hey, you ok?" Tim asked.

David gave him a nervous smile and walked into Tim's arms. "Yeah. We're just about to go see the place where we're about to get married. A little excited here, a lotta nervous there, you know?"

Tim tipped his head down into David's. "Exactly. But we're ready for this."

"Yeah," David whispered.

"Come on, David _Almost_ McGee. Let's go check out our big day."

NCIS

The cars pulled up to the front entrance of the hotel where Sarah and the hotel manager were waiting. David hopped out of the van and Tim got out of his car to meet them.

Sarah wrapped David in a hug first. "Hey!" she said excitedly before moving on to hugging Tim. "Oh, guys I'm so excited! Day after tomorrow is the big day!"

They grinned and took each other's hand. Tim asked, "Hey Sarah, how's everything going?"

"Well before we get into that, this is Martin," she gestured to the manager.

Martin greeted them both with a handshake. "Hello Tim, David, we are so glad to have you as the first same-sex couple to be legally married here. How are you guys feeling?"

David looked at Tim and giggled, then answered, "Anxious and excited, Martin. We actually just finished making the cake this morning. Is there a cart we could use to bring it in?"

"Absolutely, I'll go get it for you. It'll just be a few minutes," he called to them as he quickly walked back into the hotel.

Sarah turned back to them and started, "Alright, so quick update, Mom and Rick are coming tomorrow and not today. Rick broke his arm and they had to push back their flight, but they promised they'll still be here in time for rehearsal and Martin said it wouldn't be a problem to have a car pick them up. I told you they'd be accommodating, right?"

Tim smiled. "Sure did. How's the rest of the place looking?"

"Looking great. I've already checked the rooftop and the ballroom, they are both great. The weather is looking perfect for Saturday, so the rooftop and the park for the photo shoot will go smoothly. I did get confirmation last month for the park, but I'm waiting on a final phone call tonight to make absolutely certain they're still blocking it off. The DJ booth will be set up a few hours before the reception."

Martin returned with one of the kitchen staff and a cart for the cake. David and Nolan gingerly handled the cake when moving it from the van onto the cart. The others followed as they rolled it to the kitchen into a walk-in refrigerator. Nick left in the van, and Martin and Sarah showed Tim and David to the ballroom. It was a tan marble with champagne-tinted glass chandeliers. On the front and back walls, there were sets of two staircases against the wall that led to a landing before turning into the room and reaching the floor. On each landing were sets of golden double-doors. Rows of chairs covered with white linens lined each side of the ballroom, all facing the far side where a white wedding arch stood on the landing.

She opened the double doors and immediately went into full showcase-mode. "So here is where the actual wedding will take place. The flowers for the arch will be put up tomorrow along with the flowers for each row. Ziva's told me the shop confirmed and they're going to be dealing directly with Martin. The string quartet will set up to the left of the staircase, they've confirmed as have the photographers."

"Looks beautiful," David commented in awe.

"Wow," Tim added.

"Oh, that's nothing," Sarah grinned. "Wait till you see upstairs."

As soon as Sarah opened the door to the rooftop balcony, a soft wind swept over them all. There were several small square tables and many outdoor chairs and sofas clustered around the balcony. The edge was lined with a clear glass fence, and there were lamps and torches around the perimeter. Even from the entrance to the rooftop, they could see the Capitol Building a short distance away.

"These tables and chairs will be cleared away tomorrow night," Martin explained, "but we needed to keep them here for our guests for the time being. We have larger round tables that will be in their place." He gestured towards the large central area of the rooftop and continued, "Here is where we will have the dance floor, DJ booth will be over on the right, and just back inside will be the bar and more seating."

"What do you guys think?" Sarah asked.

"It's amazing," David said as he walked up to the edge. He leaned on the glass fence and looked out at their view, but noticed that Tim was hanging back. "Tim, what do you think?"

Tim looked up and stammered, "Yeah… it's good – it's great." He immediately looked back down.

David went back to him and started rubbing his arms. "Heights?"

Tim nodded.

"Do you want to have the reception inside instead?"

"No, no. Once it's dark it'll be better, and as long as I stay away from the edge we'll be fine."

David embraced him. "I've got you. We'll make sure any pictures are taken away from the edge."

"Thanks. Other than that, everything is great. I really love this setting."

"Me too. If we weren't already engaged, I think I'd propose here."

Tim snorted into a nervous laugh. "Despite the heights I would've said yes."

"Good to know," David whispered before kissing Tim softly. He reached down and took Tim's waist in one hand and his hand in the other, and started gently swaying them back and forth. He kept his focus on Tim's eyes.

Tim smiled. "Practicing?"

"Just enjoying."

Tim took the lead and continued their sway with no music to back it. "I could get used to this."

"Good, because in two days you'll be stuck with it."

"You say that like it's a bad thing. Is it?"

"I'll let you be the judge," David whispered before giving Tim a fuller kiss.

Tim leaned into the kiss and squeezed David closer to him.

Sarah rolled her eyes and whispered to Martin, "I swear, these two can't keep their hands off each other."

Martin shrugged. "When you've done this as long as I have, something like this doesn't faze you. If you're serious about wedding planning, be ready for so much corny from couples that it'll make you vomit."


	22. Chapter 22

NCIS

"Tim, I think that's them," David whispered and nudged Tim.

Tim nodded and quickly muttered into the phone, "Alright, Boss. I'll be ready." He closed his phone and stood up from the lobby chair with David. "Gibbs wanted to make sure I had a good suit for tonight. Not sure why."

David shuffled along with his hands in his pockets. "I'm less worried about figuring out my bachelor party than I am about trying to impress my future mother-in-law in about five seconds."

"Relax, you'll be great," Tim encouraged him.

They walked from the lobby of the hotel to the entrance where a black town car had just pulled up. Out of it stood a tall, regal woman with blonde hair, green eyes, and a face that reminded David of Tim. A man came out of the other side of the car. He wore a button-down shirt with his right sleeve rolled up to reveal a cast on his forearm. The woman held her arms open and looked at Tim.

"Timothy! Sweetie how are you?" she asked with a broad smile.

Tim went up to her and hugged her. "Hi, Mom. I'm doing fine. Here, this is David."

David smiled sheepishly as she gave him a hug of his own.

"David, how lovely to finally meet you!"

"Hello Mrs. Rowan. It's great to meet you in person, too."

"Oh no _Mrs._ , darling. You're marrying my son tomorrow, I think you've had enough standing on ceremony. Please, call me Susan."

David blushed. "Alright, _Susan._ And this is Rick?"

Rick reflexively started to hold out his right arm, then had to switch to his left because of the cast. "Hello. Sorry, still getting used to this thing."

Susan turned back to Tim. "Oh honey, this is a lovely hotel. I can't wait to see where the ceremony will be held."

"The rehearsal is in about an hour, so we can show you to your room before we head down."

"Excellent."

The bellhop put their bags on a trolley and followed behind as Tim led the way through the hotel. Susan linked her arm around David's and began her motherly chatter.

"So, David, I _must_ apologize again for having missed Thanksgiving. The cruise offer we were given was just irresistible. Do you get to go away much?"

"No ma'am, I've got pretty much everything I need around here. Tim and I have been so busy with our jobs and with getting a new place, so our honeymoon is going to be the first real vacation we've taken together."

"And what exactly is it that you do?"

"I own and run a bakery. I do day-to-day things but also higher-end cakes and such for weddings and events. I actually baked our wedding cake - with Tim's help of course."

"That sounds lovely! Does that make a good living?"

David bit his lip and flushed. "I… uh… I think so. I just moved the business down here last year, and so far we've done well. Tim and I even moved to a bigger place, right Tim?" he called up to Tim as if calling for help.

Tim smirked and responded back, "Yes, Mom, we do very well."

"Well I'm glad to hear it. Now David, I understand your brother and his wife will be in the wedding. What about the rest of your family?"

"I-" David stammered.

"He'd rather not talk about them, Mom," Tim blocked. David nodded to him appreciatively.

She patted David's arm. "I understand, dear. My apologies. I know that things involving family can be tough, especially after _you-know-who_ happened. Despicable man. But we mustn't let that ruin the big day, right?"

"Absolutely."

"My Timothy went to MIT and Johns Hopkins. You must be very smart if you're able to keep up with him. Did you go to school to be a chef?"

"No, I graduated from Temple in Philadelphia for IT. I was good at it, and kinda still am, but baking really made me happy so I decided on that for a career."

"Well that's wonderful, dear. You should never be in a career you despise. Rick loves real estate and believe me, in Texas there's plenty of it."

They reached their hotel room and showed them in, then arranged to meet downstairs in the ballroom. Tim and David walked down the hallway to their room with haste.

David shuddered. "Ok, how did I do? Did I blow it?"

"Stop fussing, you were great," Tim reassured him as he put an arm around his waist.

"Good. Compared to some of the mother-in-laws I've met on the job, I think I can handle her."

"She can be a bit much, but don't worry."

They reached their hotel room and went inside. The room was a double room that had been booked for Tim and Gibbs, but David had left his bag there before checking into his own separate room.

"Are you sure you have to have a separate room?" Tim asked. "It's not like we don't already live together."

David snaked his arms around Tim's hips and put his head down on Tim's shoulder. "It was Abby's idea for luck - Not seeing the groom before the wedding. As nervous as I am, I want all the possible luck on our side so I'm rooming with her."

"Ok. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too. But we'll see each other after our parties to exchange gifts and one last kiss before bed. Plus it's not like you can't tuck me in over the phone. We've done that enough times, right?"

Tim ran his hand across David's face then pulled him up for a soft kiss. "Yeah."

"Alright, I have to go get to my room. See you downstairs?"

"Yup, I'll be there. Love you."

"Love you too." David hurried out the door.

Tim watched as the door closed behind David. He was somewhat concerned because David had been a bit more nerve-wracked than usual ever since that morning. Tim had previously attributed it to nervousness about the wedding and meeting his parents, but his gut told him that David seemed to be holding his breath in one way or another. As Tim brought out his suit from the closet and got changed, he thought about how best to ask David about it. He wanted to wait until they were alone later that night, but he also didn't want David worrying all day. He decided to ask during the rehearsal when he got the chance in the hopes that it would be something simple and not catastrophic.

NCIS

Tim went downstairs to the entrance to the ballroom where everyone else had congregated. Tony, Gibbs, Ziva, Jimmy, and Ducky were huddled together waiting for instructions, David was talking with Mitch and Beth, and Sarah was catching up with Susan and Rick. Once Sarah caught a glimpse of Tim, she gave a couple claps of her hands to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, everyone's here. Let's head inside. Tim, David, come over here."

Everyone stood on the landing just inside the door without going down the final few steps into the ballroom. Tim, David, and Sarah stood in the center of everyone.

"Ok," Sarah continued, "Now I wanted to get your guys' opinion on how best to do this. You mentioned that you wanted both parties to come in together. Since the ballroom stairs also go up to the second floor hallway," she gestured to the stairs on either side of the door, "I thought we could have one side come down the stairs and meet the other side coming in from the door, then each pair goes down the aisle together. That way it keeps you two separate until you're actually here."

Tim looked at David, who nodded. Tim replied, "Sounds good. Who would enter on which side?"

"That was something I was going to leave to you."

David thought about it for a moment, then looked back up at Tim. "Well, given that gender roles don't exactly apply, I'd say since you proposed you should be on the right side. How difficult would the dresses be to handle on the stairs?"

Sarah shook her head. "They're not floor-length, so I think if you wanted your side to come down the stairs it wouldn't be difficult for the – groomswomen? – at all."

"Excellent, then we'll come down the stairs from the left and Tim's party will be on the right."

Sarah lined up the parties in their locations and walked them through the walking-in procedures, then she sent Ducky to the front to wait for the others at the other landing where the arch waited for Tim and David. Susan and Rick stood off to the side just to watch. She managed to get everyone in their positions, then Ducky began running them through the proceedings for the ceremony. Once the ceremony portion was completed, Sarah had them walk out together in their assigned pairs.

While the rest of the party walked ahead of them, Tim leaned down and whispered to David, "Hey, are you ok?"

David smiled anxiously. "Yeah. Exciting, isn't it?"

They started to walk forward towards the exit. Tim linked their arms together and put his other hand on David's arm. "I can tell something's wrong, David."

"I'm ok. Just a bit jittery, that's all." David looked up at him as they walked. He could tell Tim wasn't buying it despite David's assurance. "I'll be fine, I promise. If you want we can talk about it tonight after our parties."

"Yes, let's. I don't want us going into this with any regrets or concerns."

"No regrets, I promise you that. Just my brain is overthinking about possible concerns that don't even exist."

Tim nudged him slightly as they walked and smiled. "Hey, overthinking is my job."

They reached the other door and met with everyone else. Sarah had them run through the whole drill one more time, during which Ducky gave a much more abridged version of what he described earlier. Tim didn't ask David about his uneasiness again on their way out, but he could tell David was trying harder to mask it. At the end of rehearsal, Sarah got everyone's attention again and directed them to the restaurant in the hotel where they would be having their rehearsal dinner.

After they were dismissed, Gibbs pulled Tim to the side. "Don't eat or drink too much at dinner."

Tim raised an eyebrow. "Uh, ok." He looked ahead at David, who seemed to be receiving instructions from Abby as they walked. He caught up with them and interrupted, "Hey guys, Gibbs just gave me a bit of a hint as far as where we're going."

"Where _you're_ going," Abby corrected.

"Abby was just kind enough to tell me not to eat or drink too much at dinner," David replied.

"Funny, Gibbs told me the same thing. Abby, are you two colluding?" Tim asked suspiciously.

"Nope!" she answered with a confident smile. She dropped behind and linked arms with Gibbs.

David took Tim's hand as they walked. "Think she's lying?"

"Only to a degree, but I'm pretty sure they at least decided to say the same things just to confuse us."

"It's working," David chuckled.

"Did she tell you what to wear?"

"No, so I'm just wearing this," he gestured to his t-shirt and cargo shorts. "What are you thinking? Restaurant?"

"Probably. I really have no idea what Gibbs would be up to for something like this."

"With Abby it could literally be anything. I'll never understand how her brain works."

They both ate sparingly at dinner per their instructions, even though they really enjoyed the steaks they had ordered. When they finished, Tim looked up at Gibbs who nodded towards the exit.

David smiled and whispered, "Good luck."

"You too. See you tonight?"

"Yeah. I've already told Abby I want to be back in time to see you before we go to bed. Love you."

Tim gave him a quick kiss and replied, "Love you too. Have fun!" before walking to the exit with Gibbs.

NCIS

Tim rode silently and nervously in the front seat as Gibbs drove him, Tony, Jimmy and Sarah to their destination. They all wore suits, except for Sarah who wore a stylish gold sequin dress. Gibbs pulled into a parking garage, and they walked along the sidewalk until Gibbs led them down a dark alley.

Tony looked around nervously. "Uh, Boss? This looks like one of our crime scenes before it becomes a crime scene. You sure we're in the right place?"

Gibbs smirked and found a door near the corner of the alley. The door had a keypad on it, and he entered a six-digit code and opened the door. The door had been soundproofed so the music from inside came as a shock to everyone but Gibbs. The walked through the door down a short flight of stairs into what looked like a 1920's themed nightclub. The music was fast-paced jazz, the patrons all wore suits and classy dresses, and the staff wore 1920's era costumes. There was a stage that overlooked the bar area, but it was currently empty.

Tim's face lit up as he took it all in. "Oh my god… it's a Speakeasy!"

They were greeted by the host, and were seated at a table just in front of the stage. They each ordered drinks and bar food, and then continued to absorb the atmosphere.

"Gibbs," Tim gasped, "this is amazing! How did you find this place?"

"Despite what everyone believes, I can actually use the internet," he retorted sarcastically. When the drinks came, Gibbs raised his glass. "To Timothy McGee."

"Probie," Tony added.

Sarah grinned and also nudged him saying, "Big dork."

Tim grinned and took a sip of his drink. He quickly shook his head and exhaled. "Whew! Not even a drop of water in there."

Tony moaned after downing his shot. "Damn, that _is_ real stuff."

"Oh yeah," Gibbs nodded as he took another sip.

"So Tim," Jimmy started, "where are you and David going on your honeymoon?"

"We found a nice resort in Florida. It's been a while since either of us have been to an actual beach just for the fun of it, and the place looks just great."

"Does he know how quickly you get sunburn?" Tony teased.

"Yes, and he already bought almost four bottles of sunscreen just to remind me that he knows."

Sarah nodded. "I know, it's terrible isn't it? In the summer, sometimes it feels like I need to put on SPF 75 just to go outside without frying like an egg."

"Here, here," Tim lifted his glass in agreement and took a sip. He noticed that Tony grimaced a bit before taking another shot. "Don't worry, Tony, I'll be back before you have to try and run too many cell phone traces without me there to hold your hand."

Tony looked up at him with narrow eyes. "Not what I was thinking about, _McGenius_. I was thinking about you trying to sunbathe in a speedo and it's an image I never want in my mind again."

Tim shook his head. "Good to know."

"I still can't believe you're getting married. You've known him for only, what, two years?"

"Two years tomorrow as far as knowing him in-person. Probably almost three total."

"And you haven't played the field more?"

"Tony, I think you've played enough of the field for the whole office."

"Ouch," Sarah sneered.

Gibbs smirked but said nothing. A moment later, a different set of music started and a group of performers took the stage in front of them. They were a mixed group of men and women in period outfits, and as they danced fluidly through their routine they began removing their outer clothes to reveal burlesque outfits underneath.

Tim stared in awe of what he was seeing, then nudged Gibbs. "I thought you said no strippers."

"I said _I_ didn't hire them. And they're not strippers, they're dancers. Big difference. Why, you complaining?"

Tim watched as one of the male dancer's muscles rippled under his skin as he lifted one of the female dancer's into a flip, revealing more of her undergarments. Tim felt lucky that the entire performance appealed to him quite well. "Nope," Tim quickly replied.

Gibbs smiled as the routine went on. They continued to knock back more drinks and crack jokes at Tim's expense for the remainder of the night.

NCIS

Tim was definitely buzzed but not quite tipsy when he and Gibbs made it back to their hotel room. His phone told him that it was just after midnight and he noticed that there were no messages from David. He figured Abby's party was fun enough that he had been kept busy. Gibbs let him take first dibs at showering, and just after he got out he noticed David had finally texted.

 **David** : _On our way back now. I think I've gone deaf! Huge concert!_

Tim smiled and messaged back:

 **Tim:** _Good :) see you in a few._

Gibbs later returned from his shower and sat on his own bed next to Tim's. He looked up at Tim and asked, "You ready to be married?"

Tim leaned back on his bed and sighed happily. "Yeah. I used to be worried that we'd never get in sync enough to get very far. Then after our first Christmas I knew I wanted to marry him and I'd work as hard as I could to keep us going. Once he moved in everything got much easier and it just kept going from there."

"Just because he lives with you and wears your ring doesn't mean you'll always be in sync, you know. But that's ok. It just means you'll both have to learn how to properly adjust and listen to each other."

On any other day, Tim would've head-slapped himself to keep from asking Gibbs anything about marriage or his ex-wives. He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol, the fact that Gibbs was his best man, or that Gibbs was now giving him relationship advice that caused him to cross that line. "If you don't mind my asking, was that an issue with you and your ex-wives?"

Gibbs looked away and stared into space. "Only ever worked right with Shannon. No one else was like her. They either couldn't deal with the job or were just entirely wrong and I fooled myself into seeing her in them for just long enough." Gibbs closed his eyes and smiled for a moment, then reopened them and looked at Tim. "I… envy David for being able to find someone for sure again. It's hard for people like us. I guess him being younger helps."

Tim was surprised that Gibbs admitted as much as he did. Tim wasn't used to talking about anything regarding feelings or deeper subjects with him, and Gibbs never mentioned his first wife by name to Tim, so this was an almost monumental moment. He stayed laying back on the bed staring up at the ceiling, afraid that moving would break the solemnity of their conversation. "You don't think it'll end up the same way as them, do you?"

"No. I could tell he knew what he was getting into when I saw him after he accepted your proposal."

"Have you gotten to know him very well?"

"A bit. Don't want to give away my speech, though." Gibbs smirked and stood to get himself a drink from the bathroom.

Tim stood when he heard the knock at the door, and when he opened it he found David standing on the other side looking happily exhausted and holding something behind his back. His hair was ruffled and looked like it at one point had been spiked with gel before being soaked with sweat. There was a very faint tinge of alcohol in the air around him, but he otherwise seemed ok.

Tim chuckled at the sight. "You look like you had a good time."

David grinned, then walked up to Tim and gently thumped his head on Tim's chest. "So. Much. Fun!"

"Did someone have a bit to drink?"

David laughed then looked back up at Tim as they walked inside together. "Just a little bit. I was too busy jumping. Abby took me to see _Infected Mushrooms_ at the Arena. They have been on my Concert Bucket List for a decade now. That music still has my head spinning. Even Ziva enjoyed herself! Where did you go?"

"Gibbs took us to a Speakeasy. It was so crazy and awesome. There were dancers and the drinks were amazing. Everyone was in costumes, it was all classy, the whole thing was just great."

Gibbs emerged from the bathroom and smirked when he saw David's condition. "I'll be down the hall, back in 20."

Once the door closed, Tim looked back down at David. "You doing ok? Do you want to talk about what you mentioned earlier? The jitters?"

David went over to the night stand and put down the small wrapped box he was keeping behind him, then took Tim's hand and sat on the bed. "I'm doing a lot better now, I just needed a bit of time. I was nervous about meeting your mother and the rehearsal, but mostly I was nervous because I had a nasty dream last night and it was stuck in my head."

"Oh no… What was it?"

"Ok, well… Kevin and I were together for almost 5 years when we got married, and everything was fine up until that point. But only 25 days after we got married, he died. In my dream, there was this huge clock that was hanging on the wall, when we were getting married, and as soon as you said 'I do,' it came to life and started ticking. It was weird, I knew it was set to 25 days even though I can barely remember the writing on it. But out of nowhere, it wound its way down to zero, and as soon as it clicked, I got a phone call saying you were killed."

"No…" Tim's heart sunk and he wrapped his arms around David. "It's ok, that's not going to happen."

"I know, it just freaked me out a bit and there was so much going on that I didn't want it to be a big deal."

"I was worried about you. You could've told me, it wouldn't have been a problem."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I guess I also just didn't want you thinking that I was somehow comparing you to him or likening you in that way on our big day. I'm really not, I promise."

"I know. You love me for me, and you've shown that. As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

David smiled and reached for the small gift he brought. "Come on, I want you to open this."

Tim bit his lip, then with a smile he pulled David over to the bed. "I've got one for you, too."

David sat cross-legged on the bed and Tim sat just across from him so that they were in close space together. Tim pulled out another small wrapped box from his bag and handed it to David.

"You open yours first," David asked.

"No, no, you first," Tim insisted.

David excitedly ripped off the paper and opened the box. Inside was a ring box, and when he opened it he gasped. "You _did_ keep it!" He pulled out an acrylic ring that encased the grass ring Tim had used in his proposal. He beamed at Tim for a moment before throwing himself onto him for a hug.

Tim laughed triumphantly and held David close. "I had Abby help me with it. Like you said, there's something to be said for a ring I literally made for during the proposal. I wanted you to be able to wear it tonight since we have to take our rings off to exchange them tomorrow, and it reminds me of how lucky I felt when you said yes."

David kissed Tim before looking back down at it. "Oh thank you! It's perfect!" He slipped off the platinum ring, put on the acrylic one and lifted it to the light. "It's still got its green, too. I was wondering what happened to it because I hadn't seen it after we moved! Baby, this is amazing, thank you." David nuzzled forward into Tim's chest.

"Yeah. I had it done just after everything quieted down a bit with work. I didn't want it falling apart, but I didn't want you seeing what I was up to. Really hate having to take these off, though." Tim looked at his ring before taking it off and putting both of theirs on the nightstand.

"Me too, but tomorrow we won't have to ever again. Also I have something for you that can hopefully take its place for the moment," David nodded to the small box for Tim.

Tim looked intrigued as he studied the box and began unwrapping it. Inside was a large flat jewelry box. When he opened it, he saw a small glass vial connected to a chain and sealed with a cork. The vial was only about an inch tall and half an inch in diameter. Inside was a white piece of some kind of paper that had been rolled up to fit inside. Tim pinched the bottled with his thumb and forefinger and rolled it around to get a better look inside. "What is it?"

"Open it and find out," David suggested.

Tim uncorked the bottle and the paper slid out. It was thicker than notebook paper and even though it was slightly worn it almost felt like cardstock to Tim. He unrolled it and unfolded it once and found that it was a ticket to the Air and Space Museum. He was a bit confused, so he looked up at David who nodded back at the ticket. Tim began muttering to himself as he read the ticket, "Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, General Admission, May 27th…" He stopped and his eyes widened. "2008… This is…" He looked up at David and his eyes started welling up.

"…From our first date, two years ago today if that clock's right," David completed.

Tim put his hand over his mouth to try and hide his face as the hand holding the ticket started to tremble. "You… you kept this from right after we met? David…"

"No, no, no, don't start crying!" David pleaded. "If you start, I'm gonna lose it and I'll never make it through what I wanted to say!"

Tim took a few deep breaths, then with a smile he motioned for David to continue.

"I kept it because that was when I first realized I was falling in love with you. I barely remember anything you told me when I was there with you because all I really remembered…" his voice started to break and his own eyes started to water when he saw Tim's eyes again, "was… Dammit!" He sniffed and tried to continue, "All I remember from that museum was the sound of your voice flying at a million miles per hour and how your face lit up every time you looked back and saw that I was still there listening. I…" he paused to sniff again and Tim cupped his face with his hand, "I wanted you to wear it to remember that I've loved you from the moment I saw you, and that when we go up there in front of everyone it's not going to be a dream. It's going to be real, and it's going to be ours."

Tim pulled them together for a passionate and teary-eyed kiss. They both sobbed gently into it and embraced each other tenderly. Tim pulled back and laughed a bit before looking at the ticket and sniffing again. "Did uh… did Sarah help you with that speech too?"

David reached behind him and gently head-slapped him. "Come on! Give me _some_ credit. That one was all me!"

Tim sniggered as he folded and rolled the ticket back up to place in the vial. He wiped a damp eye, then muttered, "I can't believe it. That's amazing that you kept it. I almost thought you were bored because you never mentioned going back there."

"I figured you knew the place inside and out, and it would make it a little less special if we went too often. Also, that vial is actual glass so you many not actually want to wear it to bed in case it breaks. Just put it under or over your suit tomorrow."

"I'll wear it over everything. I want people to see it, just like them seeing the grass ring on you."

"Yeah. I want to get a nice display for that too so it can be seen at home. Maybe we can put them both there."

Tim leaned them both down on the bed and they snuggled together. David laid his head down on Tim's chest, and Tim held David's left hand with his right.

David groaned, "Ohhhhh… If I stay in this position much longer, I'm not getting up. And god knows I need a shower, not to mention sleep."

"Yeah, the shower at least is a good idea. I still wouldn't mind if you slept here with me."

David looked up and kissed him softly. "You know Abby would never let us get away with that, but for what it's worth I'd totally stay here. On the bright side, we get the honeymoon suite after the wedding."

"You're right. Doesn't help now, but you're right."

Tim stood them both up from the bed and walked with David out the door. He decided to go further and walk David all the way to his room instead of just leaving him in the hall. When they reached the outside, David turned to face him and bit his lip while looking up at Tim.

"This is it… Last night before the big day."

Tim smiled and gave him one more kiss. "Good night, my David. Sleep well, and I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, my Timmy. I'll be waiting."


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N - It's a long chapter and it took a while to write, but it only seemed right to have everything all together.**

* * *

NCIS

Tim slowly drifted out of sleep. Despite the events from last night and how late he got to sleep, his brain bypassed its usual wake-up process and immediately registered one thing. "I'm marrying David today," he muttered to himself. He rose up to sit on the bed and looked around the hotel room. Gibbs was gone but his suit was still hanging in the open closet. The morning sun shone into the room and the clock told him that it was 0845. He leaned over to take his phone from the night stand and dialed David.

" _Good morning, husband-to-be,"_ David's sleepy voice floated through the phone.

As per usual, Tim smiled and his heart melted at the sound of David's morning voice. "Good morning. Sleep well?"

" _Yeah, actually. I think that was part of Abby's master plan – make sure I was so exhausted from the concert that I'd actually sleep."_

"I think Gibbs had a similar idea but with drinks. You ready for today?"

" _Just waiting on my mug of coffee then I'll be all in. What about you? Any bad wedding dreams? Are you still asleep again?"_

Tim pinched himself and looked around half-expectantly. Satisfied, he returned to the phone. "Nope. Seems we're in the clear for the moment. I'm guessing you haven't eaten yet?"

" _Not yet. The hotel manager arranged for complimentary room service for you and me though, so I'm going to the gym then ordering when I get back. I need to wait for Abby, though. She's confined me to the room until she gets back just to make sure we don't run into each other in the hall."_

Tim laughed. "I guess the family really wants to keep us apart until the ceremony. Gibbs isn't here either, but I have the distinct sense that if I walk out the door it'll be at the exact time he's coming back."

" _Well hey, if I'm all caged in over here then there's no reason you have to stay in your room. Why don't you go downstairs and join them?"_

"Nah, I'll enjoy breakfast in bed. This is our leisure time, right?"

" _Yeah. I'll go down to the gym then and let you know when I'm back in case you wanted to stretch your legs."_

Tim's stomach rumbled. "Mmm. Thanks baby. I'm gonna go ahead and order breakfast now. I guess the next time I'll be seeing or hearing from you will be at the wedding then."

" _Yeah. I'm nervous but… I'm not scared or anything. I'm ready."_

"Me too. I love you."

" _Love you too. See you downstairs."_

"Bye," Tim whispered before hanging up.

With David still on his mind, he reached over to the nightstand and slipped on the necklace David had made for today. He then walked over to the desk to see the room service menu and called in his order. He showered while waiting for his food, then when it finally arrived he ate while watching TV. Time crept so slowly that Tim barely knew what else to do with himself. Gibbs returned to the room looking like he had just heavily worked out, and without even speaking he nodded to Tim and went to take a shower. While Gibbs was in the bathroom, Tim heard a knock so energetic it could only be Sarah.

"Tiiiim!" she squealed and rushed in once he opened the door. "It's here, it's finally here! How do you feel?"

Tim chuckled and hugged her. "I'm doing great, Sarah. How are things looking downstairs?"

"Everything's still good to go. We have a couple of hours before we should really start getting ready, so is there anything you wanted to do before we got started?"

Tim shrugged. His mind was blank other than his desire to be standing with David. "Not that I can think of right now."

"No problem. I'd recommend going over your vows again just to make absolutely sure that you have them down. What's that?" She pointed curiously at Tim's necklace.

"Oh, David's wedding gift to me. It's a ticket stub from the museum when we were on our first date."

"Oh wow! That's so great! I can't believe he kept that all this time. That can be your 'something old!'"

Tim smiled and blushed. "Yeah. So what are you up to? Have your hands full?"

"Very much so. The girls and I are going to the salon to get our hair done. I've assigned Mitch to keep an eye on David while we're gone. Also we'll be picking up the boutonnieres and bouquets on our way back. We should be back when you guys are getting ready, then guests arrive, then the ceremony, photos, and reception." Sarah was grinning ear-to-ear as if all of this was second-nature to her.

"David wants to get to the gym, so I'll stay here and get breakfast so he can get out."

"Ok, I'll go let him know now, then we gotta get going. I'll see you in a few!" She scurried out the door before Tim even say 'goodbye.'

NCIS

The minutes and hours crawled like passing snails, but finally Tim decided it was time to suit up. Gibbs had left once again but returned with more coffee and also began getting dressed. Gibbs hadn't spoken much since the previous night, but he walked over to Tim to help straighten his tie after Tim put on his jacket.

"Thanks," Tim muttered. "What do you think?"

"Looks good, but…" Gibbs inspected the suit, then walked over to the nightstand and picked up a dark blue leather box and handed it to Tim. "Here."

Tim opened the box and found a watch with a black leather band inside. The watch looked like it was a little older but seemed to be in brand-new condition. Tim smiled, but then shook his head. "Boss, you didn't have to buy me anything."

"I didn't. My mom gave it to my dad when they got married, right before he shipped out. And Dad gave that to me on my wedding day. Today I'm giving it to you."

Tim looked back at the watch and gently brushed the band with his thumb. "Gibbs… Are you sure there's no one else you'd rather give this to?"

Gibbs smiled proudly and replied, "Who better than you, Tim? The night we rescued David, the night you proposed, David came down to see me. He asked for my permission to marry you even though you had already asked him. I never got to do any of this for Kelly and I never thought I would, but it is a true honor for me to give my blessing to him and to give this to you like I would for my own son."

Tim's eyes watered looked at Gibbs thoughtfully and tried to keep himself together. He never said out loud that Gibbs was the father he never had, but Gibbs already knew it and felt the same way. David never told him about that night, but it made sense now why Gibbs liked David as much as he did and why he made sure that they were treated well after the ordeal with Tim's father. He lifted the watch up and saw the inscription on the back, _'Breathe, Tim.'_ Tim squeezed the watch gently in his hand, took a deep breath, and then looked back up at Gibbs. With only a small break in his voice he muttered, "Thank you, Boss."

Gibbs cupped Tim's cheek with a supportive hand, then smoothed out Tim's sleeves again. Tony knocked a couple of times while Tim was putting on the watch, and Gibbs went over to let him in.

"Hey, Boss. I never thought I'd say this, Probie, but good choice on the suit!" Tony had his jacket in his hand and the sleeves of his button-down shirt rolled up, but with the tie neatly tucked under the blue-gray vest.

Tim smiled and started putting on his shoes. "You wear yours exactly how David usually does with the sleeves rolled up. He can't stand long sleeves on these kinds of shirts. By the way, the rings are on the nightstand."

"Rings?" Tony tilted his head to the side. "Oh, rings! Right." He walked over and pocketed the two rings.

Palmer arrived already suited up and already had his boutonniere.

"Everyone else ready?" Gibbs asked.

"Ladies are ready, and I'm sure by now David and Mitch are ready also," Palmer answered. "I ran into Sarah on the way up and she gave me my boutonniere, but she'll be here in just a minute to give you guys yours."

"How's David?" Tim asked.

Palmer grinned and nodded. "Very good, but you'll see soon enough."

Tim exhaled in relief then went to examined himself in the mirror. The bluish-gray suit fit him perfectly. His light blue and silver-patterned tie reminded him of David's eyes, and he quickly remembered to lift the necklace out from underneath the shirt to let the glass vial show over the rest of the suit. He went to the bathroom to gel his hair and comb it to the side. Sarah arrived while he was in the bathroom and was distributing their boutonnieres. Her dress matched the light blue of the flowers, and it flowed like a summer dress down to her knees.

"Everyone's arrived," she said encouragingly as she fitted Tim's boutonniere on his lapel. "I've already sent David and his side to the second floor to wait, so now…" she paused as she smoothed out his jacket, "We're all set! Let's go!"

Tim's heart was pounding in the elevator as they descended. He pinched himself repeatedly to ensure that he was not in another dream.

"Stop doing that," Sarah hissed. "You'll turn your hand purple."

"I can't help it!"

"Just breathe and relax," Gibbs added. "If you're too nervous then your hand will swell and the ring won't fit."

Tim took a few deep breaths as the elevator door opened and they went through the lobby. He could hear the sounds of the string quartet playing from the ballroom. Martin was waiting for them at the ballroom entrance.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Martin asked.

They got in their order of entry, and Tim nodded. Martin quickly cracked open the door and signaled Ducky with a thumbs-up.

Ducky gave a quick introduction to the audience, then Tim heard the quartet change its music. He heard the creaking of a couple hundred chairs as people looked back towards the door that Martin was now opening for Tony to step through. The rest of the party was at an angle, so Tim couldn't see what Ziva looked like as she met with Tony at the landing. Martin signaled for Palmer and he went through. The process repeated with Sarah.

Just before going through, Gibbs looked back at Tim and nodded to the watch on Tim's wrist. Tim nodded and took a deep breath. He nervously stepped behind Gibbs so he could see everything while Gibbs received Abby at the landing. Abby grinned and gave Tim a small wave before taking Gibbs' arm and starting to walk. Her hair was braided into pigtails down the back of her head and she wore her favorite black stiletto boots under her black dress with a light blue ribbon wrapped around her neck. Her flowers had the standard white and light-blue arrangement, but had a few black roses also added. Tim chuckled at the sight, having forgotten that David encouraged her to wear her favorite color instead of blending in. The photographer's camera flashed repeatedly as he took pictures of them walking. He looked forward to the other side of the hall. Ducky stood at the top of the landing through the wedding arch wearing a black tuxedo and one of his signature bowties. He stood on a small platform so he would be seen by the audience below when Tim and David arrived, and he had his hands neatly placed in front of him with the microphone. Tony and Ziva were at the first steps looking towards the entrance. Palmer and Beth were on the next step up, but positioned themselves just inward of Tony and Ziva so they'd be more visible. Sarah and Mitch continued this pattern as would Gibbs and Abby such that when Tim and David were up there they would be standing together with each side diagonally down from each of them.

Gibbs and Abby's footsteps went slowly down the stairs and set Tim's heart racing. He looked anxiously on, waiting for them to reach the mark that would mean it was Tim's turn. Then finally, Martin signaled Tim through the door. Tim's heart lurched forward, almost pulling him through the door while still remaining inside his chest. He watched as the crowd stood and looked up at him. Then he took a deep breath and turned his head to look up the staircase.

David was beaming at Tim as he descended. His steps were light and deliberate, and his glowing blue eyes were locked with Tim's awed green eyes. His suit was the same blue-gray with matching vest, white shirt, light blue tie with silver pattern, and boutonniere. His dirty-blonde hair was styled into the same faux hawk he usually wore it and his blonde beard was trimmed close and neat the way Tim always loved it. The encased grass ring on his finger reflected the flashes from the photographer. He seemed to move in slow motion as he took each step down, keeping one hand on the railing the entire way. Tim's heart smashed away in his chest, almost propelling him up the stairs to sweep David off his feet. But instead he stood there with his mouth hanging open while the photographer continued snapping pictures of them both. Tim only noticed the flashes because of how they lit up David's already glowing face, but otherwise everyone else was gone. His breath was hitched in his throat when David reached the landing and walked up to him.

David couldn't stop smiling and seemed to be breathing shallowly himself as he looked up at Tim. "Hi," he whispered nervously, not daring breaking eye contact.

Tim almost forgot how to speak entirely. After a moment of searching he finally replied, "Hey."

Time seemed frozen to them in that moment, but neither of them had looked to see that Abby and Gibbs had already passed the mark that signaled David and Tim to start walking. Neither of them looked to see that people were still looking at them and waiting. In that moment neither of them cared about anything else but the other person.

Tim continued almost in a daze, "I think I'm dreaming again." He decided to chance it and broke eye contact by shutting his eyes for a second and reopening them. David was still there, unmoved, looking lovingly back into Tim's eyes.

"Still here," David said with a quick laugh.

Tim reached his left hand up to hold David's face. He sighed in relief at the feel of facial hair and warm skin. "Thank god."

"Guys," Martin nudged with a whisper.

They both looked at Martin then back up front where everyone was waiting. Scattered laughs from the crowed echoed to their momentarily confused faces. They both flushed, then Tim offered David his arm with a smile.

"You ready?" Tim asked with happy anticipation.

David linked his arm around it and affirmed, "Ready."

They slowly descended the few steps from the landing to the floor and began walking together across the ballroom. The photographer kept ahead of them getting picture after picture. On David's side they passed friends he had made and others he reconnected with from years ago, along with friends from his old and new bakeries. On Tim's side, they passed Penny, who smiled and waved at them both, friends from Tim's college, work, DnD nights, and Live-Action Roleplaying. Even Director Leon Vance and his wife, Jackie, were in attendance. The two men reached the staircase and made their way up. Ziva smiled at them both cheerfully as they passed. Tony was also smiling, but he seemed to be giving a far-away glance past them towards Ziva. Mitch and Beth looked at Tim and David but also looked back at each other reminiscently. Palmer smiled awkwardly, but Sarah was looking confident and triumphant when they approached. Abby grinned excitedly and was almost bouncing on her feet as they were coming up. Tim looked at Gibbs, who gave an encouraging smirk and nodded his head. When they reached the top, Ducky smiled knowingly at them.

"Got lost in the view back there, did we?" Ducky asked rhetorically with a chuckle. His voice was soft to them, but was amplified by speakers on the ground level so those in the chairs could hear the three of them just as well through his microphone. There were more scattered laughs from below, and Ducky continued with a smile. " _Dearly beloved,_ " his voice carried some satisfaction in being able to say the phrase, "we are gathered on this lovely afternoon to celebrate this most important day of Timothy and David's lives. Now, I had a few things planned that I wanted to say about what today means to them here. But instead of having me tell you, they've just told us the story themselves. Today is not about suits and rings, not about photographs and gifts, and not even about banquet halls and receptions. But rather, today _is_ about the love that these two feel when they look into each other's eyes. That love that flows from them in overabundance and passes on to us, even if they forget that any of us even exist like they did a moment ago. Every person that walked up the aisle today bore a bright smile, and I see plenty of smiles among you all. All of us here are _'dearly beloved'_ because of and by Timothy and David. Because of them, we are all family, and today we witness them universally declare their love and be united unequivocally by it."

Tim tightened his arm's grip on David's, and smiled down at him. David returned the smile, and they both looked back at Ducky.

Ducky continued, "Marriage is not a one-and-done signature or agreement, but a promise. A promise to care for one another, to love one another blindly, to put every ounce of their being into the other's happiness. Now, today may be the day that they first make this promise of marriage to each other, and you are all here to witness it. But what is more important is that you're there to witness them make and keep that promise every day of their lives. In that, you not only find that you are ' _dearly beloved'_ to them, but they are _'dearly beloved'_ to you as well. Now Timothy, David, I invite you to exchange vows with each other, and to share them with us so we may support these vows with you." He nodded to Tim first and handed him the microphone.

They turned towards each other, keeping their other hands intertwined. Tim's heart was still pounding away in his ears. Once again, he let his eyes close for a second then reopened them. David was still there, Ducky was still there, everything was still exactly the way it should be. Tim took a deep breath before bringing the microphone up near his mouth. "David…" he paused for a moment, trying to unscramble the words in his head. He took another deep breath and remembered what he had practiced. "I keep having to remind myself that all this is real because this moment is something I have dreamt about for so long. It's not fair to simply say that you simply came into my life. You were a dream, and now you're here and that is more than I ever thought would happen. Just a short time after I met you, I made a promise to myself that I would never let you go. Today, my promise to you is not that I will never let you go, but instead that I promise you all the freedom in the world to go anywhere you wish, and the promise that I will be there with you without fail. With the ring I give you today, I also promise every day that I will still be with you even if my body is elsewhere. I promise to make sure you never feel alone. I promise every day to make sure you know you are loved and that you have my love eternally." Tim finally took a deep breath and smiled nervously.

David's chin was quivering and his eyes were glossing with the beginnings of loving tears, but he kept himself together with deep breaths and accepted the microphone from Tim. "I wanted to say… When I first wrote my vows, I wanted to say that in the past two years you've been more than just family to me, you've been a best friend. But saying that just doesn't do you justice. Tim, I fell in love with you on the first day that I met you, but I held myself back and didn't tell you. It took me two months to be able to say it, and with the short time we have that is just too long. Once I stopped hiding and we finally managed to express that love to each other, we were both complete and we were able to overcome every obstacle that ever hit us. I promise to never withhold my love from you again, and to never be anything less than the man you deserve. Because of you, I am better than who I was yesterday. And every day, I promise to you that I will present a better version of myself. I promise to never allow guilt, jealousy, or mistrust into our home, and that every day our home will be waiting for you. Today we're giving each other rings of metal to symbolize the strength and unending commitment of our marriage, but…" he brought up his left hand, slid the encased grass ring off and held it in between them so Tim could see it, "I also want our marriage to be as alive and true as the tallest blade of grass."

Tim wrapped his hand around the ring and David's hand, and tipped his head down so their foreheads touched. There were mixed "Aw's" from the audience. Tim fought the urge to inch his face forward to kiss David. David was struggling the same way. Ducky saw this and intervened.

"Now hold on, you two," he chuckled as he took the microphone from David. He addressed the crowd, "I don't know why they asked for me, they seem perfectly capable of running this show themselves!"

Everyone in the audience laughed, and Tim and David flushed and looked away quickly before looking back at each other. The crowd was also joined by some hotel patrons who looked down from the second floor hallway to observe the ceremony. David slid the grass ring onto the ring finger of his right hand so his left would now be available.

"Now on the subject of rings," Ducky continued and looked down towards Tony, "Will the Ring Bearer please bring them to us?"

Tony and Ziva walked towards each other to meet at the center of the steps, then walked up towards them. When they got to the top, Tony reached into his pocket and withdrew the two rings. He handed Tim's to David and David's to Tim. "Hey, guys," he whispered.

"It's going great," Ziva mouthed with a smile, before turning around with Tony and going back down the stairs.

Tim and David laid their hands flat so the rings could be seen. Ducky continued, "These rings, chosen by you, are infinite. No beginning, no end, just like your love and commitment to each other. Tim, please take your ring and repeat after me."

Tim took David's lightly trembling hand and put the tip of his finger through the ring. His heart slammed in his chest, but his vision never wavered and David's eyes never broke contact. Following Ducky's prompts, he began, "I, Timothy McGee, take you, David O'Malley, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part." He slid the ring fully onto David's finger. They both let out breaths of excited relief.

David's eyes were still watery and his breath was shaky, but he still grinned widely when he took Tim's hand. "I, David O'Malley, take you, Timothy McGee, to be my lawfully wedded husband…"

Tim heard David's voice more clearly than he had ever heard it before.

"… to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse…"

So far no alarms, no gunshots, sounds or blinding sunlight interrupted the moment.

"… for richer for poorer…"

Tim thought by now he would've envisioned David back on the beach with the sun in his eyes, but the ground stayed where it was under Tim's feet.

"… in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."

Tim breathed easier as the cool metal slid up his finger. It was real. David gently laid his hand over Tim's and bit his lip in anticipation.

Ducky smiled at them both then looked out to the audience. "Before even meeting David, I could tell that Timothy had met someone truly special. The way he walked, the way he smiled, the glow he had that's similar to the one he has now, it all told me it was true love. At that time, I never would've guessed that they would've given me the honor and the privilege of being able to say these words to them today." He turned to Tim and David. "By the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and husband. _Now_ you may kiss."

Tim wrapped his right arm around David's waist and pulled him up as close as possible. David stood on the tips of his toes to meet Tim, and they shared their first kiss as a married couple. The crowd roared with cheers, whoops, and applause. The string quartet began playing again, and the photographer's camera flashed incessantly. It all blurred together and faded as they kissed. The fingers of their left hands laced together, and David brought his right hand up to hold Tim's face to his. They each drank in the kiss like life-saving water. Each passing moment gave them greater strength and conviction to hold the other even tighter.

David ran his fingers around the back of Tim's head and up into his hair to pull him into a deep embrace. Tim nuzzled into David and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too, _husband,_ " David sang the word proudly. He opened his eyes and looked over at Gibbs, who gave an approving nod while applauding, then quickly tipped his head to the side towards the aisle. David whispered to Tim, "Wanna take a walk?"

Tim pulled back gently and replied, "With you, absolutely."

Hand-in-hand they descended the stairs and made their way up the aisle to the exit.

NCIS

After greeting the guests in the hallway and taking some pictures with the party outside the hotel, Tim and David slipped into the limousine that would take them for pictures at the park where they met. They got their own car while the rest of the party loaded into a party bus. A few more pictures were snapped as they pulled away from the hotel, and they both took a relaxed breath. David pulled Tim close for another quick kiss and left his arms draped over Tim's shoulders. "Hardest part's over for you, _Mister McGee_. How do you feel?"

Tim gently swayed them both back and forth in their seats. "I feel incredible, _Mister McGee_. I think I'm pretty talked out though after schmoozing for almost an hour."

David nodded and leaned his heat onto Tim's shoulder. "Mmmhm… good thing pictures don't need much talking. Just a ton of smiling."

"Good. That I think I'll be doing for a while."

They arrived at the café and savored another moment alone together in the car before getting out and joining everyone else. The photographer first had Tim and David stand alone together in the spot where they first embraced, then had a picture with everyone else in the same spot. The pictures in the sculpture gardens took another hour. Tim and David were directed into various poses with various wedding party members. Penny, Susan and Rick also joined them for family pictures. The photographer captured a shot of Tony jumping on Tim's back, David twirling Ziva, and Gibbs kissing a smiling Abby on the cheek.

The sun was making its way towards setting, and its orange tint began to paint the sky as they headed back to the hotel. The rooftop was decorated with many strings of lights around the edge of the building, the doorways, and the pillars. The patio was furnished with large round tables fitted with white tablecloths, white and blue floral centerpieces, and place settings. The tables left a central area for the dance floor open, with the head table just in front of the fence that faced the Capitol Building. In the one corner of the dance floor, the cake stood on a table facing out so the logo and the topper made with two men in tuxedos faced the crowd. The wedding group stood outside the door leading to the rooftop bar and patio, however Tony snuck inside so he could do the entry announcements.

Tony put on his sunglasses and his best radio host voice and began, "Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Tony DiNozzo, resident Ring Bearer and best friend of the grooms. Please allow me to introduce the gang from the hottest wedding of the season! First up, we have the lady of flowers, the lovely, vivacious and gracious _Zi-va Da-vid_!"

The crowd clapped and cheered as Ziva smiled and walked confidently out to the head table. The DJ continued the upbeat music through the next announcements.

"Next up, we have the Sister-of-the-not-quite-Bride, Beth Brigantine, and everyone's favorite autopsy gremlin, Jimmy Palmerrrrr!"

Beth and Jimmy walked in with wide smiles and after crossing the dance floor they separated to head to their separate sides of the table.

"Coming up next is the dashing big brother, Mitch Brigantine, and the power-planning little sister, Sarah McGee!"

Mitch and Sarah both entered with swagger and followed suit.

"Now welcome our lovely _back-in-black_ Maid of Honor, Miss Abigail Sciuto, and everyone's favorite boss and Best Man, Leroy Jethro Giiiiiiibbs!"

Gibbs and Abby breezed through the entryway. Gibbs gave a half-smirk/half-grimace at being in the center of attention even momentarily, but Abby twirled herself around under his hand as they walked towards the table.

David's grip on Tim's hand tightened and they both took deep breaths.

Tony continued, "And now, the moment we've all been waiting for. Ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to introduce to you for the first time – the two geeks to rule them all, Baker and the Beast, _MISTERS DAVID AND TIMOTHY MCGEEEEEE!_ "

The guests roared and applauded louder than for any of the others. Tim and David walked through the doors and met the din and flashes from the cameras. They smiled and waved to a few of the guests and took the dance floor. The DJ changed the music from the club-like grand entrance into the sound of a piano and light drums. David looked up at Tim and bit his lip before moving in closer.

"Relax, and forget everyone else," Tim whispered as he took David's waist and hand.

David heard the start of the song and smiled. He took Tim's hand and placed the other on his shoulder. "You changed it from the waltz..."

"I knew you loved this one and it'd be easier."

They began to step back and forth and sway as the lyrics began.

 _L is for the way you Look at me,_

 _O is for the only One I see._

Tim locked his eyes with David's, and David only heard the music and only felt Tim's presence. His rhythm was steady and his steps were fluid.

 _V is Very Very extraordinary,_

 _E is Even more than anyone that you adore can_

 _Love is all that I can give to you,_

 _Love is more than just a game for two._

 _Two in love can make it._

 _Take my heart and please don't break it,_

 _Love was made for me and you._

David stayed lost in Tim's eyes. The flashes of the camera went unnoticed to them both. Neither the sun setting nor the view of the Capitol Building behind them broke the spell held over them. They simply looked at each other with unwavering grins as they stepped.

"You still nervous?" Tim whispered.

"About what?" David coyly smiled.

"About dancing. You were worried before about dancing in front of people, but you're flawless."

"I'm dancing with you on the happiest day of my life. I'm not worried about anything."

Tim blushed. As the music came to its finale, Tim decided to be daring. He twirled David around once, then scooped his arm up behind David's back and pulled him up for a deep kiss in front of everyone. The crowd cheered and applauded again. The photographer snapped pictures of their pose, and they released each other from the kiss with deep laughs.

Tim took both of David's hands in his own. "Now _your_ hard part is over, too. We can relax together."

"Oh no. My job isn't done until I hear orgasmic moans from people eating that cake," David replied.

Tim sputtered out a laugh and leaned his forehead against David's before they left the dance floor. They dropped down into their chairs at the center of the head table. Sarah had retrieved a microphone and left it in front of their seats, and David suddenly remembered they had to make an opening speech. He nudged Tim and they quickly stood up, but they looked nervously at each other wondering which one should start.

Tim seemed to be frozen on the spot, so David took the lead. "Thank you everyone for coming, uh… not really good at this part so just gonna keep it short and say thanks again, and everyone dig into the food and enjoy the drinks!"

The guests applauded and sat at their assigned tables while waiters and waitresses began delivering food and drinks. Tim and David sank back into their seats and relaxed. Just like at home, David's left hand found Tim's right and their fingers intertwined. Abby sprang up behind David and wrapped him in a bear hug from behind his chair.

"Guyyyys! I know I've said this like a million times today but I'm so happy for you! That dance was so cute, too."

David groaned through the tight grip, "Thanks, Abby." As she switched over to wrap Tim in the same vise-grip, David continued, "It's nice to just be able to sit down."

"Oh man, I can't sit still for anything. The big speech is coming up and I can't wait to give it."

Tim smiled and chimed in. "Can't wait to hear it, Abs." He turned to Gibbs and added, "Yours too, Boss."

Gibbs smiled and nodded, but said nothing.

They were served dinner of their choice of filet mignon or salmon. Since Tim had opted for the steak, David chose the salmon and they each traded bites from the other's plate. About a half hour into the meal, they were interrupted by Abby standing and clinking her for on her glass. When everyone quieted down, she nervously smiled and started.

"Uh… Hi everyone, my name is Abby and I'm the Maid of Honor. Normally, I'd give you a speech and then the Best Man would give a speech, but…" she looked over at Gibbs, who stood up and joined her, "Gibbs is a man of very few words and my speech is going to be super-gushy so we thought it would be best if he went first."

Tim and David looked up at them with anticipation.

Abby handed Gibbs the microphone but stayed standing next to him as he started. "I don't normally talk this much, but today's a very important day and they both deserve it. The day I met Timothy McGee, I was without my morning coffee and this young Special Agent from Norfolk was in my way the whole day. He'd heard of me, and I hadn't heard of him so I did a little reading up on him. A little while later, the air conditioning went out in our building at work, and this same young agent crawled around the building on the hottest day of the summer just to get our network upgraded. Then and there I knew I wanted Timothy McGee on my team."

David gently elbowed Tim, who was flushed and still looking up at Gibbs.

"One case we were on led Tim to bringing in some outside help, which is when I met David. He was up to his neck in car parts, but he was happy to be there with Tim. Just like when I met Tim, David already knew exactly who I was. I knew that if Tim told him about work and the people he worked with, that meant he was special. During that case, David nearly got himself killed trying to protect us all even though he barely knew us. That showed me his loyalty, and he earned my trust. I watched as he and Tim got more and more involved, until one night Tim proposed to David. Of course David said yes, and later that night I asked him about it. Most people would've told me that they were ready to be married to the person that proposed to them. David impressed me by telling me that he wasn't. He knew they needed to grow more together before they'd be ready, but that he was ready to start that journey with Tim. He knew what he was getting into, and was serious about making it work. He asked for my blessing to marry Tim, and I gave it without any doubts that today would come." Gibbs reached over for his glass of champagne. "Tim, David, you both know how my gut has been regarding marriage, but I don't need my gut to tell me that you two are the real deal."

He raised his glass, and the audience raised theirs with him before taking a small sip. Tim and David both beamed at him as he handed the microphone to Abby and sat down next to Tim.

Abby alternated looks between the audience and the couple as she began, "Ok, well first off, that was the most I've ever heard Gibbs talk at once, like _ever_ , so you guys totally rock just for making that happen."

Everyone from the team, as well as Leon and Jackie Vance, laughed.

"But anyway, about two years ago Tim McGee brought a tray of cinnamon buns into work with him one morning. Now, Tim was _not_ known for his baked goods, so when asked about them he said that his friend 'David' had made them. For the next couple of weeks, it seemed as though the name 'David' was synonymous for 'baked goods' as Tim began bringing in more and more things taught to him by this 'David.' What I started to notice, however, was that Tim developed a certain smile whenever he mentioned the name 'David.' Now I had already known Tim for quite some time, and I knew exactly what that smile meant."

David and Tim exchanged glances and squeezed each other's hands while Abby continued.

"Then, like Gibbs said, Tim brought David in to help on a case. I swear, those two couldn't keep their eyes or hands off each other, and it was quite obvious that they were in love and not just messing around. The process of admitting it to each other probably would've gone better if the case we worked on together hadn't gone totally haywire, but the message was received and they fit together so smoothly it was like they had already been together for years. Well a few months later, Christmas was fast approaching and it was a very difficult time because the family was scattered all over the place. I was miserable, and I thought Tim would've been just as miserable as I was, and that he would've spent his weekends alone with his computer and his typewriter. But no, Tim was managing to keep it together because he was spending his weekends with David. Even more than that, they invited me up to spend some time together with them so I would feel better too. They made me feel like family, and that was something I'll never forget. And then before any of us knew it, Tim proposed to David after being with him for less than a year."

David leaned his head down on Tim's shoulder and continued to look up at Abby.

Abby turned to Tim and David and looked directly into their eyes as she spoke, "Tim, you've been my best friend through thick and thin. So much has changed for us all in the past two years, but no change has been more incredible to watch than the change that's happened for you since you met David. I've seen you become the Tim you always wanted to be – confident, strong, brave, just everything. And you found someone who fit so perfectly with you and the rest of our family here. David, for a long time you were used to making other people happy, but you always ended up alone when you needed someone. You deserve to have someone as amazing as Tim in your life, and after everything you've done for us all you'll never have to feel alone again. I know you've been around a while and I probably don't even need to say this, but… Officially, welcome to the family."

Tim and David rose quickly to tightly embrace Abby. The three of them rocked in place while the audience applauded.

David sniffed a couple of tears away, and whispered, "Thank you. I love you, Abby."

Tim also squeezed Abby tight and added, "Love you too, Abby."

"Love you both. You're my boys." Abby refused to let go of both of them for at least a few minutes, then the applause died down and they sat again.

The DJ started playing more mellow jazz music while people continued eating the last of their meals.

David leaned over to Tim and whispered, "Wanna dance again?"

Tim smiled and replied, "Aren't you supposed to dance with Sarah in a minute?"

"Yeah, but I want to dance with you again."

"Can we do that?"

David giggled. "It's our wedding! We can do whatever we want!"

"So, do we just go?"

David took his hand. "Yup!"

David led Tim out of the dance floor and they slowly swayed with the music. Tim pulled David close so they could nuzzle their noses together while they danced. Over Tim's shoulder, David nodded to Mitch, who took Beth's hand and led her out to the floor next to them. Ducky then crossed over to Penny's table and requested a dance, and she coyly accepted. Tony offered Ziva his arm, which she took with a smile. Sarah was asked by a friend to dance, and Jimmy went to dance with his date, Breena. Gibbs offered Abby his hand, which she accepted without hesitation.

The dances varied in intensity, and they had each traded partners a few times. Tim had danced with Ziva, Abby, Penny, his mother Susan, and even had a comical dance with Tony. David also danced with Ziva, Abby, and Penny, though while Tim danced with Susan, David danced with Sarah. Tim found his way back into David's arms, and then neither wanted to let the other go again. Tim kissed David tenderly, then his hands felt the need to wander further. David squeezed Tim and growled in his ear.

"We'd better wrap all this up soon…" David purred.

"We still have to do the cake," Tim reminded him with a quick nip at David's lips.

"Let's do the cake, then we're busting outta here. I want you."

Tim laughed. "Yes, _sir_."

David walked over to the table with the cake while Tim went over to tell Sarah that they were moving plans up. Sarah headed to the lead table to clink her fork on her glass and directed everyone to look towards the cake. Tim joined David at the cake table, and the photographer followed to continue taking pictures. The DJ put on the _Imperial March_ from _Star Wars_ as everyone laughed and looked towards the newlyweds. David put the cake cutter in Tim's hand and wrapped his other hand over Tim's while they slowly sliced into the bottom tier of the cake. They set their slice down on a plate, then each took a forkful. Tim turned around to face David up close as they began delivering the cake to the other's mouth. The photographer snapped the picture that would eventually be their favorite with the cake and sunset to the left, Tim and David feeding each other cake in the center, and the Capitol Building in the background to the right. The guests applauded as Tim and David each successfully received their cake, and laughed as they both moaned at its deliciousness. Tim grabbed David and kissed him with both of their mouths still full of cake. David laughed triumphantly at how the cake turned out, and ordered everyone to immediately take a slice.

NCIS

More dancing took place after the guests demolished the cake, and the sun was fully set by the time Tim and David got hungrier for alone time with each other. Sarah grabbed Tony and they snuck away to move Tim and David's bags from their separate rooms to the honeymoon suite. Upon her return, Sarah quickly came up with a believable half-truth for their sooner-than-planned exit, distributed bags of rice to the various tables, and grabbed a microphone.

"Alright everyone, let's give it up one more time for the newlyweds, Tim and David!" She paused for the cheers, then continued, "They've got an early flight that they gotta get ready for, so we're gonna say goodnight and Happy Honeymoon!"

Tim grabbed David's hand, and they waved before heading through a deluge of thrown rice from the guests. They reached the door, but before heading through they stole one last kiss in front of their audience. They hurried to the nearest elevator to head down to their floor. David pinned Tim to the wall of the elevator and planted a heated kiss on his lips. Tim punched the button to their floor and pulled David's hips closer. The elevator dinged, and they sprinted hand-in-hand to the suite. They stumbled inside and were only distracted by the room's beauty long enough to properly close and lock the door.

David pulled Tim back into the kiss by the chain of the necklace David gave him earlier. Tim pulled off his suit jacket and started to push David's off. David broke the kiss and nuzzled their faces together.

"Need to shower, been sweating," David breathed.

Tim tugged David closer to continue the kiss, and between breaths muttered, "Me too."

Tim guided them towards the bathroom as they each stripped their layers. David turned toward the shower to start the water, and Tim stood behind him and ran his hands up David's bare torso. David lightly gasped and surrendered as Tim nibbled down David's neck and across the black phoenix tattoo that spanned from David's shoulder to his bicep. Tim ground his rising erection into David's ass as he kissed and squeezed David's muscle. David whimpered and pulled Tim into the shower with him. David locked their lips again and draped his arms around Tim's neck as the warm water beat down on them. Tim reached behind David and grabbed a bar of soap and started lightly skirting the edge of the bar up David's spine. David moaned into the kiss and let Tim's tongue invade his mouth.

David ran his fingers through Tim's hair, letting the gel wash out and giving him a firm grip on Tim. He groaned with relief while Tim massaged the soap into him, releasing tension in his muscles and leaving him feeling fresh. He slipped the soap from Tim's and into his and began lathering up Tim's body to return the favor. They were slick to each other's touch as their bodies ground harder together. David groped the globes of Tim's ass while he continued cleansing him.

"Love you…" Tim breathed. "I want you so much…. Need you."

"Love you always…" David's eyes lit with gentle flame and he slid the knob for the shower downward. He held Tim close and whispered into his ear, "Make love to me, my husband."

They wrapped each other in towels and rubbed the other down sensually. They breathed for a moment to calm down and let themselves enjoy the moment instead of rushing it. They embraced in the warm towels as their tongues continued to dance. David took Tim's hand and let him to the king-sized bed waiting in the other room. Without relinquishing David's hand, Tim reached down into his bag for the lube he knew they'd need. David pulled Tim into another embrace before letting them both fall back on the bed. Tim rolled over and propped himself above David. Tim caressed David's chest, and looked at him with a soft, loving glow in his eyes.

David reached up to hold his hand on Tim's cheek, then whispered, "You are so beautiful."

Tim leaned down and kissed David softly. He ran his right hand up David's left arm until their fingers intertwined tightly like they always did at home. He gently nudged his way between David's legs, and David enclosed them around Tim's hips. Tim felt electrified by David's contact. They had done this so many times before, but this time it felt like the first time. Tim nuzzled his face against David's, and felt heat surge through him. His heart thudded heavily in his chest as David gently kissed up his cheek to his forehead.

"Mine…" David whispered, "Forever."

"To have and to hold," Tim quietly replied with a smile and a kiss over David's heart.

David softly chuckled and continued, "For better for worse…" He breathed shallowly as he felt Tim continued kissing his way down his chest.

"For richer for poorer…" Tim breathed between kisses. He maintained his hold on David's hand as he stopped at David's stomach and went back up.

"In sickness and in… ohhhhhh-" David was interrupted by Tim blowing a soft breath across his nipple.

David ran his fingers through Tim's hair and breathed deeply. Tim gently pushed his hips forward and grazed his shaft along David's entry, and David hissed and arched up into Tim. Tim took advantage of the exposed neck and softly nibbled at it. They never released their grip on the other's hand, but Tim grasped David's thigh to gain leverage while David pulled Tim's hips closer. Tim ground harder against David, eliciting more moans and gasps.

"Please," David begged, "Need you…"

"Just taking it slow," Tim teased.

David smiled into Tim's hair. "I've never been able to resist you. I'm feeling so much right now, I just can't help it."

Tim looked up at David and lovingly smiled. "Me too. It feels like our first time."

David bit his lip and softy kissed Tim again. "It really does, but… we're ready."

Tim blindly felt around the bed for the bottle of lube, then slicked up his cock as David lubed himself. Tim rested his head against David's and they breathed together while looking into each other's eyes. Tim pressed his lips against David's and pushed his cock into David. David grunted as the sensation sent shivers through his body. He grappled Tim's body with his legs and pulled him further inside while squeezing Tim's hand tighter. Tim froze to stave off his orgasm. He focused on the feel of David's lips and the gentle suction they provided.

Tim started rocking his hips into David, and David gently ran his hands around Tim's body as they moved. David moaned into Tim's mouth as the pressure inside him increased. David broke the kiss and nipped his way to Tim's sensitive spot under his ear. Tim gasped as his nerves ignited.

"David," he pleaded.

David reached between them and started stroking himself between their bodies. He used his legs to match Tim's rhythm and pull Tim harder into him. David nibbled further down Tim's collar, and Tim slid his arm under David to pull him even closer. They both were sweating and panted heavily as Tim increased his speed. Tim brushed their faces together again and slipped his tongue back into David's mouth. Tim could feel David's tremors and harsh breathing, and knew he was close to the edge.

David shakily whispered, "Baby… love you… love you…"

Tim kept their eyes locked together and broke his rhythm to slam a few hard thrusts into David. David cried out and gripped Tim between his legs like a vise as his orgasm raged through him. Tim felt the warmth of David's cum splatter across their chests, and David's warmth clamped around Tim's throbbing cock. Tim let himself go and thrust with all his might into David one last time before flooding David with his load.

David trembled in the aftermath and held Tim as tight as Tim held him. Their hands were still intertwined as David's left arm was bent above his head on the bed with Tim's right laying over it. Their breathing was ragged and their bodies were drenched in sweat, but neither made any move to cool off or be anywhere but completely wrapped in the other person. As their breathing steadied, David reached his hand up to wipe away stray drops of sweat from Tim's cheek with this thumb. He kept his hand cupping Tim's face and looked deeply into the eyes of the man he loved. Tim brushed David's face with the back of his fingers.

David nuzzled their noses together and whispered, "Hey, _Elflord_."

Tim grinned, tipped his head down to rest against David's, and replied, "Hey, _Scruffy_."

THE END

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading my stories! This series was a first for me, and the reviews I got gave me the confidence to continue and the inspiration to improve. I have another story that I'm working on, and hope that you will enjoy it as much as this. Thanks again!**

 **Credit: Lyrics from 'LOVE" by Nat King Cole.**


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